A morning run in damp, cold conditions began the day. Covid news and early signs suggested the Omicron Covid variant was more transmissible than the current Delta strain, No 10 said. But the PM's official spokesman added it was still too early to draw conclusions - and any impact caused by Omicron would also depend on whether it caused severe illness. There are currently 437 confirmed cases of Omicron in the UK, figures showed. The good news was that none of them are in hospital. The government must not panic now the country is getting back on its feet and the economy is recovering. After a busy morning dealing with constituency matters, I headed to CR8 for another session of our Defence Committee. Today, a sub-committee of our committee took oral evidence from Alex Clark, Chief Fire Officer at Capita Fire & Rescue, and Richard Holroyd, managing director and Capita Defence Fire and Security. The company has recently taken over fire fighting responsibilities at a number of MOD sites and we questioned them about their role and effectiveness. The 90 minute session can be seen on Parliament TV. Meanwhile, the Nationality & Borders Bill was going through the Commons. There were amendments galore, most from the political Left. In my view, our Bill must act as a deterrent to the countless economic migrants heading to the UK, risking a dangerous Channel crossing to get here. This must stop. There were numerous votes at 1615 and 1915. This alleged Christmas party at No 10 last year continued to dominant the news after a video obtained by ITV showed senior No 10 staff joking about holding a Christmas party - a party the government had denied ever happened. The PM's then press secretary Allegra Stratton is asked by colleagues about reports of a party, as they rehearse a news conference in December last year. In jokey exchanges, she said: "This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced." Downing Street continued to insist no party took place. The mock news conference took place in the government's new high tech briefing room at 9 Downing Street, on Tuesday 22 December, without members of the media present. The rehearsal took place four days after the alleged Christmas party on 18 December. PMQs tomorrow could be rowdy.