- Boris Johnson wants to ease lockdown and get the UK back to normal by summer
- PM targeting quicker easing after he was warned 3.5m hospitality jobs at risk
- Massive unemployment warning promoted PM to apparently blurt out: ‘Christ!’
- Government will relax planning rules to allow pubs and cares to use outside area
- Some restrictions on attendance at weddings and funerals could be eased in July
- Moves come despite scientists warning R rate in some areas could be above one
- But Matt Hancock today insisted the Government will take ‘safety first’ approach
By Jack Maidment, Deputy Political Editor For Mailonline and Amelia Wynne For Mailonline, 7 June 2020
Boris Johnson is pushing to reduce social distancing from two metres to one metre under plans to accelerate the reopening of the economy after he was warned millions of jobs could be lost.
Mr Johnson is believed to be keen to slash the distancing rule if the science shows it is safe to do so.
A group of six senior ministers – dubbed the Save Summer Six – has been set up to figure out how to get the UK back to something approaching normal life by July.
The group believes changing the social distancing rule is the key to restarting the economy and that if two metres remains the standard it will prevent many businesses from being able to reopen.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma is said to be speaking to his counterparts in other European nations like the Netherlands and Denmark to see how they moved to 1.5 metres and one metre respectively. The World Health Organisation recommends a one metre minimum.
Mr Sharma reportedly told Mr Johnson in a meeting last week that if the hospitality sector is unable to get back up and running it could cost 3.5 million jobs, prompting the PM to blurt out: ‘Christ!’
As a result the PM is believed to have resolved during a meeting with Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Friday to quicken the easing of lockdown with one Cabinet source saying the premier wants the country to be ‘back to normal or as near as possible to it by the summer’.
Accelerating the easing of lockdown will prompt concerns among scientific experts after some studies suggested the R rate of infection could be above the crucial one number in certain parts of the country.
But Health Secretary Matt Hancock today moved to assuage any concerns as he said there was no ‘trade off’ between the economy and the health of the nation.
Mr Hancock insisted the Government will proceed on a strictly ‘safety first’ basis and that the UK is ‘winning the battle’ against coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is expected in the coming weeks to use a major speech to set out his plans to ‘rebuild Britain’ in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic as he looks to effectively relaunch his domestic agenda.
The speech is likely to include a pledge to accelerate major infrastructure projects – including Tory manifesto pledges to build 40 new hospitals and key road upgrades.
Mr Johnson will this week chair a meeting of his Cabinet to update ministers on the next lockdown-easing steps for a number of sectors, which are expected to take effect from June 15.
The Sunday Times reported that the PM will bring forward plans to relax planning rules to allow pubs, restaurants and cafes to use outdoor areas for seating. Sunday trading rules could also be loosened.
Meanwhile, restrictions on weddings and funerals could be eased next month to allow up to 10 people to attend the events while hairdressers could reopen before July 4.
The PM has also told Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to step up work on creating ‘travel corridors’ to holiday hotspots so they are in place by June 28.
Downing Street announced on Saturday night that churches and other places of worship are set to open for private prayer from June 15, but worship groups, weddings and other services will still not be permitted.
It comes as Mr Johnson has reportedly secured the use of the tennis court at the US ambassadors’ London residence, Winfield House, to help him get back in shape.
The Queen has already granted the PM access to the grounds at Buckingham Palace for walks and runs, while the Archbishop of Canterbury has thrown open the gates of Lambeth Palace.
Any move to quicken the reopening of Britain will cause concern among some experts after recent reports suggested the R rate of transmission may already be above one in parts of the country.
If R is one or higher, the virus will spread exponentially through the population, while a value less than one indicates the virus is in decline.
Health chiefs have also said that there should be no further easing of lockdown before the test and trace system has been proven to work.
Mr Hancock today insisted the R number is below one across the country, telling Sky News: ‘Overall R remains below one, between 0.7 and 0.9 by the best estimate of SAGE including in all parts of the country so we are able to proceed.
‘But again I come back to this, and I will keep coming back to this, we proceed with caution and we proceed with safety first, making sure that as those shops do reopen that it is safe to do so and they do so in a way that is compliant with the Covid safe working guidelines.’
He also insisted lockdown restrictions will be lifted ‘cautiously’ to avoid a second spike of the disease.
‘People do ask me about the economy but my view is that the worst thing for the economy would be a second spike and so there isn’t this trade off that much is made of in the media between the health and the economy,’ he said.
‘I care deeply about getting the economy going and the best way to get the economy going is to ensure that we get the number of new infections right down.
‘That is what matters for the future of the economy as well. So it is easy to write stories about a trade off. What really matters for this whole country is that we get the number of infections right down, we keep that R below one and then we can cautiously, cautiously, reopen some of the things that make life worth living.’
Mr Hancock added: ‘We are winning the battle against this disease and that allows us to release more of the restrictions – including putting in place this local action supported by the test and trace system.’
The Government is facing growing pressure from Tory MPs and the hospitality sector to reduce the social distancing rule to one metre.
Pub chiefs have warned that if the two metre rule remains in place then two thirds are likely to remain shut.
But if it is reduced to one metre then three quarters could reopen immediately.
Polling has also suggested that 40 per cent of pubs would not be able to survive until September if they have to remain closed.
The coronavirus crisis has been the Government’s overwhelming focus since February and ministers are keen to get back to delivering on the pledges made at the 2019 general election.
Mr Johnson is also said to want to fast-track recruitment campaigns for doctors and nurses to increase the NHS’s resilience before the winter.