The British government has said that the new Delta coronavirus variant is 60 per cent more transmissible in households than the variant that forced the UK to lock down in January.

The Delta variant, which first emerged in India, has caused a rise in cases in Britain, prompting questions about whether social distancing restrictions will be lifted as planned from June 21.

New research from Public Health England “suggests that the Delta variant is associated with an approximately 60pc increased risk of household transmission” compared to the Alpha variant first identified in southeast England.

More than 90pc of new cases were of the Delta variant, the government said, according to AFP.