Boris Johnson's claim that "your tier is not your destiny" was dramatically undermined minutes later by his chief medical officer.
The PM claimed that areas could well move down the tier system, which kicks in on December 3 and puts 99% of England in the top two brackets.
But Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty suggested this may be fantasy as he said Tier 2 will be enough to "hold the line" but not "reliably bring down cases".
Mr Johnson told a Downing Street press conference that "every area has the means of escape" from the top levels of restrictions.
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