With 7,373 Covid patients in hospital across the country, the health secretary has warned MPs hospitalisations and deaths are likely to "dramatically increase" in the coming weeks as the Omicron coronavirus variant spreads. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson nonetheless faces a rebellion from about 70 Conservatives when MPs vote later on measures announced for England last week to slow the spread of the variant. These include requirements for face coverings in most indoor settings and Covid passes - proving vaccination status or a recent negative test - to gain entry to large venues.
Mr Johnson insists this is a proportionate response. Covid passes are used in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. But Tory backbencher Marcus Fysh calls them "the thin end of an authoritarian wedge". Former minister Andrea Leadsom says one of her constituents is "now less afraid of Covid than she is of intrusive and incoherent government regulations". The measures are almost certain to pass, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying it's his party's "patriotic duty" to support the NHS by voting for them. But our political correspondent Ben Wright says if 70 Tories don't back the rules, it would be a blow to Mr Johnson's authority and could make No 10 wary about introducing further measures next year.

There have been queues of up to five hours outside walk-in vaccination centres, while the NHS website crashed as bookings for booster jabs opened to people aged 30 and over. But the prime minister says more than half a million people still booked appointments on Monday, describing it as an "incredible feat". He's now appealing for volunteers to help meet demand, while No 10 says in the next week "hundreds more sites, mobile units and pop-ups will be springing up across the country" - including at football stadiums, shopping centres and racecourses. People aged 18 to 29 will be able to book their booster jabs online from Wednesday. But senior health sources tell us they may not be able to meet a target of offering boosters to all adults by the end of the month.

A coronavirus outbreak among Manchester United footballers has caused this evening's match at Brentford to be called off. The Premier League says the decision was taken "following guidance from medical advisers due to the exceptional circumstances" of the outbreak. United have shut down operations at their Carrington training ground to minimise the risk of infection. It comes after it emerged 42 Premier League players and staff had tested positive in the last week, with Brighton, Tottenham, Leicester, Aston Villa and Norwich all having confirmed cases. As it stands, tonight's other matches involving Norwich and Aston Villa, and Manchester City versus Leeds are scheduled to go ahead.

Photographs of long queues at walk-in vaccination clinics appear on many front pages, with the i describing "Britain's race to get boosted" to protect against the Omicron coronavirus variant. The Daily Telegraph says the queues have been mirrored online and suggests the NHS is overwhelmed. NHS leaders warn they cannot hit a target set by ministers to offer boosters to all over-18s by 31 December, the Times reports. Meanwhile, the NHS is on a "crisis footing", with hospitals in England told to free up beds, according to the Guardian. It says NHS England bosses have told hospitals "patients who could be discharged to care homes, hospices, their own homes or hotels before Christmas to free up beds should be".

Heard of a song called Body, by Tion Wayne and Russ Millions? If you're a regular TikTok user, you'll almost certainly know it. A remix of the track, featuring ArrDee, E1 (3x3), ZT (3x3), Bugzy Malone, Buni, Fivio Foreign and Darkoo was the most popular song among the app's UK users this year, with the hashtag #bodyremix clocking up more than 200 million views. Here's the top 10 most popular songs on UK TikTok.
If, however, that last paragraph made next to no sense to you, then perhaps Cabaret would be more your thing. A production starring Eddie Redmayne has just opened on the West End - and critics have been making a song and dance about it. Here's what the reviews are saying.

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