The new variant is spreading more rapidly than the original version, but it is not believed to be more deadly.
Along with the UK, the same mutation of the Covid-19 virus has also been detected in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.
There is no evidence to suggest the new variant reacts differently to vaccines.
In the UK, large parts of south-east England, including London, are now under a new, stricter level of restrictions in a bid to curb the rapidly spreading virus.
On Sunday, European nations including Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium all announced a halt to flights and travel from the UK. The measures vary and are initially generally short-term.
An EU meeting will be held on Monday morning to discuss a more co-ordinated response.
The Dutch move came after tests carried out on samples taken in the Netherlands earlier this month revealed the same new variant of coronavirus as that reported in the UK.
Pending “greater clarity” on the situation in the UK, the Dutch government said that further “risk of the new virus strain being introduced to the Netherlands should be minimised as much as possible”.
The Dutch government also said it would work with other European Union member states in the coming days to “explore the scope for further limiting the risk of the new strain of the virus being brought over from the UK”.
