Johnson holds back on further Omicron restrictions as Britain's debt costs rise

Debt costs are mounting because a quarter of UK government debt is tied to retail prices which have spiked this year

British prime minister Boris Johnson has so far resisted imposing some of the measures recommended by his scientists, including limits to household mixing, to contain the spread of the highly-transmissible omicron variant.

Boris Johnson’s government suggested there won’t be new coronavirus restrictions imposed before Christmas, as ministers stressed the need to balance public health with protecting the UK economy.

“We’re saying to people they should continue with Christmas, but in a cautious way,” Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay said on LBC Radio, when asked if the rules were going to change.