It comes as plans for working from home around Christmas are being drawn up by the Government as Boris Johnson considers tougher measures to slow the spread of the omicron variant.

We understand that officials working on Covid policy have carried out modelling on the economic impact. 

Political Editor Ben Riley-Smith says vaccine passports could also be introduced, prompting a Cabinet split. 

Meanwhile, a new study of chess players has given an insight into how our minds function when we work remotely. Miranda Levy explains what working from home does to your brain. 

In other developments:

Calls for Foreign Office chief to quit over holiday

The top civil servant in the Foreign Office is under pressure to resign after he admitted he spent 11 days on holiday during the Afghan crisis. Whitehall officials and Dominic Raab, the former foreign secretary, denied claims by a whistleblower that a working from home policy had hampered the Government in its efforts to rescue civilians in late August. But Sir Philip Barton, the Head of the Diplomatic Service, admitted to the Commons foreign affairs select committee that he returned from holiday only 11 days after the Taliban took control. He said he had “reflected a lot” on his decision to remain away from Whitehall and now believes he was wrong to do so. Gen Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said that Sir Philip’s position was now “untenable”.

Can you say most mispronounced word of the year?

You might know what it means, but do you know how to say it? Cheugy, a term used to mock unfashionable millennials, has been voted one of the most mispronounced words of the year by experts. The word, meaning no longer regarded as cool, is used to target people up to the age of 40. After it made the list of words that have tripped up the public and news anchors, we explain how it should actually be pronounced.

Daily dose of Matt

View Matt‘s latest cartoon as he finds a new way to describe the spread of the omicron variant.

Also in the news: Today’s other headlines

Royal speech | The Countess of Wessex has said that the world is failing to protect children from “truly horrific abuse” online, as lockdown made them “ever-more reliant” on virtual communication. She said the pandemic had left children exposed to “new and very dangerous threats”. Speaking in her role of patron of the NSPCC, the Countess urged technology companies to put children at the forefront of innovation.

Around the world: Nazi camp typist on trial

A 96-year-old former typist at a Nazi concentration camp is indirectly guilty of the atrocities perpetrated there, a Jewish survivor said after testifying at her trial. Irmgard Furchner should have trouble sleeping at night, Josef Salomonovic told the court in Itzehoe, near Hamburg. Justin Huggler reports on the harrowing testimony of his experiences.