Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he “can’t see any reason” to delay the remaining steps along the roadmap out of coronavirus restrictions, scheduled to take place on May 17.
Talking to reporters in Hartlepool following the Conservative victory for MP Jill Mortimer in the by election, Mr Johnson said: “I think that it’s been very important for our country that we’re able to get through Covid as fast as we can.
“I think we’ve got to always bear in mind that this thing isn’t over.
“I think the epidemiology is very encouraging at the moment but we’ve got to continue to be cautious, and we will continue with the cautious but irreversible steps of the road map.
“I can’t see any reason now to delay any of the steps that we’ve got ahead of us, but that’s going to be our programme.”
Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, is leading a Downing Street press conference later, in which he will outline the next steps out of lockdown, in 10 days' time.
He's widely expected to bring in a traffic light system for countries which will be placed on the red, amber or green list for travel.
There's been much speculation about which countries will be on the list.
It comes as Public Health England announced a variant found in Bolton was now a variant of concern. The number of cases of the Indian variant has more than doubled nationally in a week.
