Recap updates as Boris Johnson delays end of lockdown

We will bring you all the latest updates throughout the day.

Find out when the Prime Minister will make the lockdown announcement this evening.

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Health minister Edward Argar said he does not rule out shortening the gap between coronavirus vaccine doses for younger adults in England.

“We have shortened the gap for the over-50s from 12 to eight weeks,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“But we will be guided by the advice of JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) and the scientists on this.

“At the moment, we believe the right thing to do is to shorten the gap for the over-50s, but we are always open to scientific advice.

“If that is the scientific advice, of course we will look at it very carefully – but at the moment the advice we are getting is the approach that we are following, which is the over-50s, and we have got the supplies to do that.”

Sir Keir Starmer has blamed the Government’s “pathetic” border policy for a delay to lockdown easing that is widely predicted to be announced later.

The Labour leader made the comments in response to threats from composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to open his theatres to a full house on June 21 regardless of lockdown rules.

Speaking to LBC, Sir Keir said: “June 21 was supposed to be ‘Freedom Day’, and why are we not going to hit it? It looks like we’re not because of the Government’s pathetic borders policy.”

Sir Keir criticised the Government for delays to introducing hotel quarantine, the confusing traffic light system for foreign travel, and the decision to delay putting India on the red list until late April.

“The net result of (the Prime Minister’s) pathetic approach is that we’re going to have four weeks more of this.”

When pressed on Lord Lloyd Webber’s claims he is ready to be arrested, Sir Keir said: “I have to tell him to obey the rules and obey the law, of course I do. But I do understand the frustration.”

The latest data released by the government shows the areas where Covid cases have been rising in the last week in and around Portsmouth.

It comes ahead of Boris Johnson’s press conference at 6pm - where he is expected to delay the easing of lockdown by four weeks to July 19.

Find out if cases are rising where you live here

Mark Davyd, founder and chief executive of the Music Venue Trust, called on the Government to provide additional financial support to businesses hit by the delay to the end of lockdown.

He told the PA news agency: “We need the Government to act immediately because millions of pounds have gone into this sector to prevent it from closing down.

“We are apparently going to be four weeks away from when we might be able to reopen. But in those four weeks most of these venues could be closed down because they are unable to pay their bills.”

The Indian variant of coronavirus is ‘becoming the most dominant’ in Hampshire with Covid cases expected to rise.

Residents have been urged to get vaccinated as health bosses said the vaccine remains ‘the best protection we have’ against the virus.

It comes as it has been confirmed that the variant first identified in India, now known as Delta, is becoming the most dominant in Hampshire.

Read the full story here

Brides-to-be and wedding venues are waiting with bated breath for an announcement on whether larger gatherings at weddings can go ahead this summer.

Prime minister Boris Johnson is to make an announcement at 6pm today that could see coronavirus rules limiting the amount of guests remain in place for another four weeks.

The move could have disastrous effects on the wedding industry, which has already been hit hard by months of shutdown followed by tight rules.

Industry group The UK Weddings Taskforce said that 50,000 weddings planned in the four weeks after June 21 could be cancelled if the lifting of restrictions is delayed, meaning a £325m per week loss for the industry.

Frank Turner has warned that a delay to the end of lockdown will tip some music businesses into ‘final collapse’.

The singer-songwriter, who is a patron of the Music Venue Trust, said the expected announcement of a four-week extension of coronavirus restrictions in England is ‘disheartening’.

In a thread on Twitter, Turner described the impact a delay will have on the live music sector, which has been preparing for a June 21 restart at full capacity.

Read the full story here

YouGov reports that 71 per cent of English adults say they back a proposed delay to June 21 lockdown end, including 41 per cent who strongly support the delay.

However 24 per cent say they would oppose this decision.

Support comes across all major party voters, Leavers and Remainers, regions and ages - biggest opposition comes from English 18-24 year olds, where 34 per cent oppose; but still 54 per cent support a four week delay.