Scientists urged to speed up Indian variant analysis

There are around 70 cases of the new Indian coronavirus variant in the UK (Joe Giddens/PA)

British scientists must urgently learn as much as possible about the Indian Covid-19 variant, a leading epidemiologist has warned, as calls mount for the country to be added to the UK government’s “red list”.

Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M), which provides evidence on coronavirus to the government’s Sage committee, said as much information about the new variant must be gathered “as quickly as possible”.