Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
Post-Christmas restrictions have come into force in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales amid the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The new measures, introduced by the devolved governments in the three states, have mainly hit the hospitality and leisure industry.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has so far resisted any new restrictions for England, but has said he will act if required as infections continue to rise.
In Scotland, large events will be limited to 100 people standing indoors, 200 sitting indoors and 500 guests outdoors.
On Monday, one-metre social distance rules will return to restaurants and indoor locations, including gyms, theatres and museums.
The last available figures released by the Scottish government show 7,076 new infections reported on Christmas Eve, with 10 deaths.
In Wales, a maximum of six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants from Sunday. The two-metre social distance rule is returning for public places and offices.
Outdoor events will be limited to 50 people, with 30 indoors, but numbers able to attend events such as weddings, civil partnerships, funerals and wakes will be determined by the size of the venue. Nightclubs will close.
In Northern Ireland, indoor standing events will not be allowed from Boxing Day. On Monday, table service will return at pubs and restaurants and a maximum of six people from different households can sit together.
In Westminster, Mr Johnson is under pressure from many in his Conservative Party to not reintroduce restrictions for England.
Thousands of people spent a few minutes of Christmas Day queuing for the Covid vaccine.
The UK has expanded its booster programme over the past two weeks, reopening sports stadiums and cathedrals as inoculation centres, after research showed that two doses of the vaccine were not enough to protect against the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
A record 122,186 new infections were reported across the UK on Friday.
The spread of the Omicron variant reduced the number of shoppers looking for a Boxing Day bargain in the UK, according to figures.
Customer numbers at shopping sites across the UK on Boxing Day up to noon was 45 per cent below the 2019 level, data from retail expert Springboard showed.
In central London, which was 67 per cent down on on 2019, there were queues outside Selfridges, Boots, Primark, Disney and Zara on Oxford Street.
Masks were worn by most shoppers on Oxford Street, whether in a queue or walking around, but many of the shops were not full of people.
Customer numbers in Northern Ireland was 73 per cent below the 2019 level, 63 per cent lower in Wales, and almost 50 per cent lower in Scotland.
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
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