As it happened: New variant from South Africa identified in UK - BBC News
Two cases of a "highly concerning" new virus strain are discovered in the UK, the health secretary says.
Just as we’ve got used to the idea of one worrying variant of this coronavirus, another one comes along.

The newest one, which has been brought from South Africa in recent weeks and infected two people in the UK, is “highly concerning”, says Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

It comes hot on the heels of the discovery of another variant in Kent causing sharply rising cases in the south and east of England, which will mean strict tier four restrictions being introduced in more areas of England on Boxing Day.

These are two different variants, but they have some similarities and share a mutation.

Crucially they are both concerning, leading to large increases in cases in South African and the UK.

UK scientists are skilled at genomic sequencing - the technique used to track mutations of the virus. That’s the main reason these variants have been found quickly and acted upon, but just because other countries haven’t detected them yet doesn’t mean they aren’t present.

The faster they can be found, the more quickly they can be squashed. With hospital admissions rising to near levels of the spring peak and deaths increasing daily, ministers have no choice but to act quickly.

Cutting social contact between people, tighter rules on travel and rapid testing – which is being rolled out to workers in care homes and is planned in schools and many local authorities – are the tools they are using to fight the virus on all fronts.