Covid: Final stage of lockdown easing in England to be delayed by a month

The prime minister will make an official announcement on the delay on Monday.

The final stage of the government's roadmap out of lockdown is set to be pushed by back four weeks, according to reports. All legal restrictions on social contact in England were due to end on June 21, but government sources have told the BBC that senior ministers have signed off on the decision to delay this. It comes amid increasing concern about the rise in infections across the country and the spread of the Delta variant which was first detected in India. Boris Johnson will announce the news of the delay in a press conference later on Monday. He will also set out the details of the new planned easing of restrictions. The decision is expected to face significant rebellion from backbench Tory MPs who are adamant that lockdown restrictions should be lifted as soon as possible. The announcement is also disappointing news for businesses such as nightclubs, which had been building towards the 21 June as the date they would be allowed to reopen for the first time since March 2020. Former government chief scientific adviser, Sir Mark Walport, spoke to BBC Radio 4 about why the delay of the ending of all restrictions is required. He said: "It is a race between the vaccination and the virus, and another four weeks makes a significant difference. "It will also help us really establish the extent to which the vaccination breaks or weakens the link between getting an infection and getting the serious effects of ending up in hospital or potentially dying. "So we'll get a lot more information, we'll see what's happening with hospital admissions, which of course lag [behind] infections." There is speculation about whether a "break clause" may be included in the new plans.