Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, expressed his party's support for the booster vaccination programme on national television Monday night.

Mr Starmer also confirmed his party would support in a vote in Parliament the return of some rules and restrictions for England.

The rules fall under the government term "Plan B", which brings in mandatory mask wearing in public spaces and transport, and requires people to produce either a negative Covid test result or proof of vaccination if they want to use services like restaurants and cinemas.

Speaking during a pre-recorded message released on Monday, Starmer said it was the Labour Party's "patriotic duty to vote for these measures to ensure that they go through".

"In doing so, we are supporting the NHS and supporting our country," he said, while also adding that he intended to "hold the government to account in the coming weeks".

Starmer also encourage viewers to get a booster Covid vaccination, and to vaccinate children aged over 12-years-old.

"Of course I understand that sticking to the rules may be inconvenient," he said. "But stick to the rules we must. It would be easy to let the festivities we've all been looking forward to, divert us from our national duty."

Starmer's address comes as he suggested over the weekend that Boris Johnson's alleged participation in Downing Street festivities last Christmas appeared to breach Covid rules.

Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/12/13/covid-restrictions-plan-b-how-affect-christmas-plans-rules-2021/

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