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Tighter restrictions – know as Plan B – are being brought in across England with cases of the new variant rising at an alarming rate.

The new rules, announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on December 8 include work from home guidance from December 13, further rules on wearing masks and ‘Covid certification’ being required in indoor spaces where crowds gather.

But Mr Norris (Lab) said Labour had been calling for these measures to be in place weeks earlier.

Bulwell MP Alex Norris says everyone should have been wearing masks in indoor venues and working from home much sooner. Photo: London Portrait Photographer-DAV

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “As ever, ministers have been too slow to protect us against the virus, we should’ve been mask wearing on transport and working from home if possible already.”

The changes requiring people to wear masks in more indoor venues are in effect from today (Friday), the changes requiring people to once again to work from home if they can, come into effect from from Monday, December 13, while the changes requiring mandatory double vaccine-only Covid-status certification in nightclubs and venues where large crowds gather come into effect from Wednesday, December 15.

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This requires the holder to have received at least two Covid vaccination jabs – or to demonstrate a recent negative lateral flow test.

Mr Johnson said: “It is the proportionate and responsible thing to move to Plan B in England so we slow the spread of the virus, to get yet more boosters into arms and understand the answers to the key outstanding questions about Omicron.”

The announcement came amid ongoing controversy for the Government after a footage emerged of senior staff joking about a Christmas party that allegedly happened in Downing Street last December when the UK was in lockdown.

Allegra Stratton, one of the main figures in the video, resigned just hours before the Plan B announcement.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Millions of people now think that the Prime Minister was taking them for fools.”

Mr Johnson has ordered an inquiry into whether rules were broken.

Dispatch district MP accuses the Government of being too slow to move to Plan B