PRIME Minister Boris Johnson says that the vast majority of food and medicine is arriving in the UK as normal.

This comes after France banned lorries from travelling from the UK over fears of new mutant coronavirus strain which was discovered in England.

Mr Johnson also said that he has held positive discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron about resolving the situation quickly.

And he added that supermarkets supply chains are ‘strong and robust’, meaning that people can continue to shop normally with no need to panic buy.

During a press conference at Downing Street this evening, Monday, the PM said: “Last night at 11pm, the French Government imposed restrictions on UK freight crossing to France when accompanied by a driver.

“Today, I chaired a meeting of the Government’s emergency COBR committee in order to co-ordinate a UK-wide response.

“It is vital first to stress that these delays – which are only occurring at Dover – only affect human-handled freight, and that is only 20 per cent of the total arriving from or departing to the European continent, which means the vast majority of food, medicines and other supplies are coming and going as normal.”

He continued: “We are working with our friends across the Channel to unblock the flow of trade as fast as possible.

“And the Government at all levels is communicating with our friends in Paris.

“I have just spoken to President Macron. We had a very good call and we both understand each other’s positions and want to resolve these problems as fast as possible.

“I want to stress that we in the UK fully understand the anxieties of our friends about Covid, their anxieties about the new variant.

“But it is also true that we believe the risks of transmission by a solitary driver sitting alone in the cab are really very low.

“And so, we hope to make progress as fast as we possibly can.

“I want to repeat that these delays only apply to a very small percentage of food entering the UK, and as British supermarkets have said, their supply chains are strong and robust, so everyone can continue to shop normally.”

Mr Johnson also confirmed that more than 500,000 people have received their first coronavirus vaccine dose.