London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

UK government scientists tell Boris Johnson to close schools in January

UK government scientists tell Boris Johnson to close schools in January

U.K. government scientists have told Boris Johnson in direct terms that he has to keep secondary schools closed in January — and potentially order a stricter national lockdown than the one he implemented in November — to prevent coronavirus infections from spiraling out of control.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, the body which advises ministers on the COVID pandemic, delivered the stark new advice at a meeting last week, an adviser familiar with their conclusions said.

Led by the government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance, SAGE agreed that, because of the prevalence of a new strain of the virus identified in the U.K. in the autumn, the reproduction rate — known as R — would surge further above 1 in January even if the prime minister implements another November-style national lockdown in the New Year.

In other words, the experts' advice to Johnson was that a New Year national lockdown in England identical to one he ordered in November — during which schools remained open — would not be enough to keep the virus under control, and that even stronger measures would be needed.

SAGE's advice was that the R rate might be kept below 1 if schools stay closed in January. The advisory body found that closing secondary schools would have a bigger impact than shutting primary schools.

Last summer, the prime minister said it was "vitally important" that children go back to school, after many were taught virtually between March and the summer holidays. Earlier last week, however, Johnson told a Downing Street press conference the government would stick to the plan to stagger the reopening of schools "if we possibly can."

At the same SAGE meeting, the committee also expressed increasing alarm about a second new strain of COVID believed to have traveled to the U.K. from South Africa. The scientists told Johnson that the South African strain is spreading even more quickly than the new strain identified in Britain, and that its mutations raise concerns about immunity. This has become a major concern among government scientists, a Whitehall official said.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Education Secretary Gavin Williamson had told allies that he faces an "enormous battle" to keep secondary schools open next month, in a story that appeared to attempt to prepare the public for an announcement this week. Officials at the Department for Education will hold a crunch meeting with Downing Street on Monday to decide whether schools can reopen, the paper reported.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×