Priti Patel Will Host A Press Conference From Downing Street At 5pm

Priti Patel is set to host a press conference this evening, January 12, to explain how police will be enforcing lockdown restrictions.

The home secretary will appear live from Downing Street at 5pm, in her first government press conference since May 2020.

She is expected to announce how police up and down the country will be doubling down and using fines to ensure people are sticking to lockdown restrictions.

The press conference comes after Patel announced that police would be quicker to hand out fines to rulebreakers, as a number of people have been caught hosting parties and gatherings, despite the country currently being under the strictest restrictions.

More officers are expected to be on the streets asking people where they are going and the reason as to why they have left their home, with Met officers having handed out 300 fines in the last 24 hours alone.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson will host a cabinet meeting today, while he decides whether it’s necessary to implement even tougher lockdown restrictions, as hospitals up and down the country reach full capacity.

With the current trajectory in rising case numbers, it’s estimated that hospitals could be completely overwhelmed in just two weeks’ time, according to NHS bosses.

Police bosses have called on the government to clarify its messaging, particularly when it comes to ‘stay local’, as there’s really no definition as to how far a person is allowed to travel, particularly for exercise purposes.

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