Matt Hancock says he is “optimistic that we will have a great British summer”

Should we be booking our summer holidays now?

Matt Hancock has told viewers of Good Morning Britain that he is confident that we will have a "great British summer" this year. The health secretary was asked by host Susannah Reid is people could start booking summer holidays. "I’m optimistic that we will have a great British summer, as I've said," replied Hancock. "The challenge that we all still have is that we've got to keep control of the virus. And so we've got to monitor progress. But the vaccine rollout is going well, the vaccines clearly work, so this is really, really good progress."

‘I’m optimistic that we will have a great British summer.’ @Susannareid100 asks Matt Hancock whether it is time to start booking summer holidays after news the vaccine can reduce Covid transmission by up to 67%. Tune in?https://t.co/6iQ6ebeOEQ pic.twitter.com/cBGhVuqES9

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) February 3, 2021

Also on Good Morning Britain, the health secretary said that news that the Oxford jab limits transmission by two-thirds showed that "backing those vaccines was right." "The news overnight... demonstrates that the vaccine protects you, and it helps cut the transmission of the disease across the whole community. It shows that the vaccine works, and works well." "This figure of two-thirds reduction in transmission is better than I expected. It is really good news for everybody, and it just shows that the stratergy has been right of backing those vaccines."

‘It shows the strategy of backing those vaccines was right.’

Matt Hancock says the news that the Oxford vaccine stops transmission by two thirds was better than he expected. He says it is really good news for everybody. pic.twitter.com/SaZaihKn7Y — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) February 3, 2021

The government aims to vaccinate 15 million vulnerable people, including those aged over 70 and people required to shield, by the middle of this month.