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UK at COVID-19 tipping point - health minister

The UK's health minister has issued a stark warning that the country is at a 'tipping point' when it comes to COVID-19.

COVID-19 cases have risen sharply in recent weeks to more than 4,000 per day.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called it a second wave and stricter lockdown measures have been introduced in areas across the country - with London possibly next in line.

Matt Hancock told the BBC that a second national lockdown is a possibility.

"If everybody follows the rules, everybody follows the rules and we will be increasingly stringent on the people who are not following the rules. If everybody follows the rules, than we can avoid further national lockdowns but we of course have to be prepared to take action if that is what's necessary."

Andrew Marr: "So we might be facing a further lockdown if people don't obey the rule?"

Matt Hancock: "That's exactly right. I don't rule it out. I don't want to see it."

Opposition leader Keir Starmer said he would support whatever measures the government brings forward, but criticized the government's testing system for not having the capacity to deal with increased demand as schools returned.