British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government would set out new tougher border measures later on Wednesday, adding there were no easy answers after the COVID-19 death toll in the United Kingdom surpassed 100,000.

"The Home Secretary will be setting out later today ... even tougher measures for those red list countries where we are particularly concerned about new variants," Johnson told parliament.

Asked why the British toll was the highest in Europe, he said: "There are no easy answers, perpetual lockdown is no answer."

(With input from Reuters)