The UK is beginning to slip into an effective lockdown in all but name, with millions working from home, streets deserted of shoppers, pubs and restaurants emptying due to nerves over Christmas parties and gigs, football matches and plays shelved thanks to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

Despite the Prime Minister urging people not to cancel their festive plans or change their behaviour beyond Plan B restrictions, many seemed to be choosing to put off socialising to save their contacts for Christmas itself, heeding Professor Chris Whitty’s appeal to “prioritise what matters”…

Before Plan B restrictions, figures show the hospitality industry was on track to reach 95 per cent of pre-pandemic trade levels, but consumer confidence has plummeted, and businesses are struggling.

Pubs, bars, cafés and restaurants have already seen trade fall by a third and are expecting a further 22 per cent drop in bookings for December.