What will the government do? On Tuesday the expert panel recommended mandatory Covid vaccines for over-50s if a new variant emerges.

Now we await the choice of the politicians. The final decision may be postponed until Wednesday 13 July, with MPs then due to debate the decision on Thursday.

However, the outcome of Friday’s Council of Government meeting could be decisive in terms of what is decided. The experts, for their part, have urged the government to act as quickly as possible.

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