UK Covid: over 50,000 cases reported for first time since July as Johnson rejects calls to move to ‘plan B’ – as it happened

Infections in UK at highest level since July but prime minister says we are within the parameters of what the predictions were'. This live blog is now closed. Please follow the global Covid live blog for further updates

• PM resists calls to activate plan B' as new Covid cases top 50,000
• Labour demands 500,000-a-day booster jabs target
• Starmer says plan A failing' because vaccine wall starting to crumble'
• No 10 says science advisers have not formally requested move to plan B
• Rees-Mogg snubs Javid's call for Tory MPs to wear masks in Commons
• Farmers should be very worried' about NZ trade deal, says NFU
• Coffey unveils plan to make use pension funds to protect climate

Jeremy Hunt made his comments earlier (see 11.12am) during a Commons urgent question on Covid. During the exchanges Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said the government should be aiming to get booster vaccinations up to 500,000 a day. He told MPs:

On current trends we won't complete boosters until March 2022. Instead of doing just 165,000 booster jabs a day, why not set a commitment to do 500,000 jabs a day and get this programme completed by Christmas, mobilising pop-up clinics and making better use of community pharmacies?

The third dose for immuno-compromised has been described as chaotic by charities. Why not allow them to use walk-in centres?

Historically, around 5% of school is missed due to absence during the spring term, but in spring this year 57.5% of sessions (half a day) were recorded as missed due to circumstances relating to coronavirus.

This represents 219m school days, according to Department for Education (DfE) data out today.