Boris Johnson ‘confident’ lockdown restrictions will end in England on 19 July

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he is "confident" that no further delay to the lifting of remaining Covid restrictions in England will be necessary, and will come to an end on 19 July.

The Prime Minister confirmed on Monday (14 June) that lockdown measures would remain in place until July - pushed back from 21 June - due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant.

'Now is the time to ease off the accelerator'

The Prime Minister said 19 July will now be the "terminus date" for the remaining restrictions on social contact.

Covid restrictions in England were due to come to an end on 21 June, but this has been pushed back by four weeks to 19 July amid the rise of the Delta variant.

Limits on numbers for sports events, pubs and cinemas will remain in place, with nightclubs to stay shuttered and people will be asked to continue working from home where possible.

However, the 30-person cap for wedding ceremonies and receptions, as well as wakes, will be lifted on 21 June, with limits to be set by venues based on social distancing requirements.

Mr Johnson said it is “sensible to wait just a little longer” and that he is “confident” no further delay will be necessary.

“It’s unmistakably clear that vaccines are working and the sheer scale of the vaccine rollout has made our position incomparably better than in previous waves," he said.

“But now is the time to ease off the accelerator because by being cautious now we have the chance in the next four weeks to save many thousands of lives by vaccinating millions more people.”