Credit: PA Around eight in 10 recent positive cases of Covid-19 in London and eastern England could be the new UK variant, figures suggest. Across England as a whole it is estimated it could account for 61% of new cases, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced in mid-December that experts had identified a new variant of coronavirus which he said may have been responsible for the “faster spread” in south-east England. This week, as he imposed a third national lockdown on England, Boris Johnson said the variant, which is up to 70% more transmissible, was spreading in a "frustrating and alarming" manner.