The World Health Organisation has introduced a new naming system for Covid variants in an attempt to avoid “stigmatising” the countries where they were first reported.

It means the UK (or Kent) variant has been given the label “Alpha” while the Indian variant has been given the label “Delta”.

French president Emmanuel Macron has confirmed he has received a Covid vaccine.

France has now opened up vaccinations to anyone aged 18 and over, with more than 48 per cent of the adult population having received a first dose and more than 20 per cent having received a second.

Urging all over-18s to make an appointment, Mr Macron tweeted: “Like Brigitte and I, like 25 million French people already, let’s get vaccinated! To protect us, to protect our loved ones.”

Hundreds of young people are queuing to get a vaccine at Twickenham stadium after the organisers announced they were offering their remaining supplies to anyone over 18.

One of them was Kira Lewis, 21, who travelled from Hampstead Heath in north London to get her first Pfizer dose.

The King’s College graduate, who works at Labour First, told the PA news agency she joined the line at 5.15pm but had almost reached the front by 7pm.

She said: “People here are generally high-spirited, and lots have come with friends. I’ve seen a few people I know from university pass me and join the queue.

“We came from the other side of London for it, as it’s worth the opportunity. Despite seeing the huge queue that is snaking around the stadium people are still keen to join, with some running to get to the back.”

She said she and her partner a tweet announcing that the vaccine was being made available to over-18s at the stadium “and we thought we might as well”.

“It felt like we either get it today or potentially wait months for the next opportunity,” she said.

“I hate needles. But it’ll have to be done sooner or later and getting the vaccine is definitely for the best. I had coronavirus at Christmas and it was horrible. It’s better to avoid it again or passing it on.”

The British Medical Association has urged the government to act with “maximum caution”when deciding whether to lift the lockdown on 21 June.

Council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “The government must hold off making a final decision on whether lockdown is fully lifted on June 21 until latest data can be scientifically considered – the Prime Minister had pledged he would be guided by ‘data not dates’, and it’s vital that he now honours this commitment.

“We are at a pivotal moment in battling against the virus in the UK, and with the June 21 date signifying an end to all legal restrictions and allowing normal social mixing of people.

“Yet since the road map was announced, we have seen the emergence of a highly-transmissible new variant and significant escalation of cases – and in the last week a reversal of a downward trend into seeing increases in hospital admissions and deaths. At the same time, we know the second vaccine doses are critical to controlling the spread of the new variant.

“A premature ending of all legal restrictions which then resulted in a surge of infections would undermine our health service’s efforts to tackle the biggest level of backlog of care it has ever faced. It would also add further demands on staff who are exhausted, both mentally and physically.”

Dr Nagpaul added: “We have come a long way in delivering an extremely successful vaccination programme, which has allowed significant relaxation of rules and social interaction together with opening up of non-essential retail and hospitality.

“It’s vital we do not undo this progress, and take a precautionary approach to easing restrictions altogether, to prevent any rebound surge in infections. Vaccinating enough of the adult population with the second dose will be key, remembering that younger adults are also at risk of developing long Covid which can take a toll on their chronic health.

“It’s clear that government must act with maximum caution when considering whether to go ahead with lifting restrictions on June 21.

“We cannot afford to repeat past mistakes, which would result in greater levels of serious illness and loss of lives, including adding pressures to our overstretched NHS.”

Government “incompetence” is the biggest threat to plans for exiting lockdown on 21 June, according to Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth.

“The decision to continue easing restrictions must be taken based on data to keep people safe and prevent overwhelming the NHS,” Mr Ashworth said.

“The single biggest threat to that is ministerial incompetence.

“Today ministers remain engulfed and distracted by internal rows and blame-shifting at just the moment we need a laser-like focus on this variant.

“Weak, slow decisions on border policy let this variant in, continued lack of sufficient self-isolation support and a stand-off with local public health directors over vaccination policy failed to contain it.

“For June 21 to go ahead, ministers must learn from their earlier mistakes.”

Hundreds of young people have rushed to Twickenham stadium in the hope of getting a vaccine dose after organisers of a walk-in event announced that anyone over 18 would be able to get a jab.

The likelihood of another lockdown is “pretty small” unless vaccines are ineffective against new variants, an expert has said.

Professor Robert Read, who is a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme that he did not agree that the UK was in the early stages of a third wave.

He said: “Although we’re seeing rises, we’re not quite at that stage where you would call it a third wave.”

Prof Read said that the full reopening scheduled for 21 June depended on “vaccine failure”.

“My view is that it is quite possible that the government could move to full reopening, but it does really depend on quite a few things.

“One of the most important things for me would be whether we are seeing cases of vaccine failure with the Indian variant, because that would mean that the vaccine programme we are rolling out is less effective than we think it is.

“But at the moment we think it is very effective.”

Pressed on the chances of the Indian variant giving cause for another lockdown, the Southampton University academic added: “You have to remember that if you have got all of your over-50-year-olds vaccinated, the likelihood that there would be a catastrophic effect on health and in particular the NHS, in this country, is pretty small, unless of course you get complete vaccine escape, which is extremely unlikely.”

Portugal’s prime minister has been accused of mixed messaging around the Champions League final after he allowed thousands of English football fans to breach social distancing measures over the bank holiday weekend in Porto.

The match – which was played between Chelsea and Manchester City, and won by the former – attracted maskless crowds who were pictured drinking and chanting on streets despite it currently being prohibited to consume alcohol outside of licensed venues in Portugal.

More than 320,000 people in the UK received a vaccine yesterday, according to the latest figures.

That includes 120,243 first doses and 204,282 second doses.

It brings the total to 39,379,411 first doses (nearly three-quarters of the adult population) and 25,537,133 second doses (48.5 per cent of the adult population).

Twickenham Stadium has been converted into a mass vaccination centre as medics battle a surge in the Indian variant of coronavirus.

Up to 15,000 first doses of a vaccine have been prepared for people who live nearby in an event called “Let’s Tackle Covid”.