Lockdown restrictions will be fully lifted on Monday July 19 the Health Secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed.
Mr Javid spoke to MPs in the House of Commons this afternoon and said that after considering all the data the government had decided to push forward with the next stage of the roadmap.
Mr Javid said that it was the right time to lift restrictions to get the nation back to something resembling "normal life".
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He said: "Now is the right time to get the nation closer to normal life, we will move to next stage of roadmap on July 19.
"If not now then when? there will never be a perfect time to take this step as we cant simply eradicate this virus it's not going away.
"Next week supported by the summer and school holidays there is chance of a return to normal life.
"If we wait longer we risk pushing the virus towards winter when the virus will have an advantage and we might not be able to open up at all.
"We believe the the vaccine wall means we can withstand a summer wave and that the wave would be much more dangerous in winter.
"This is the most responsible decision we can take and we have to balance the harms of covid against the harms of restrictions, the rise in domestic violence, impact on mental health, undiagnosed cancer being just a few."
Mr Javid said that this wasn't the "end of the road" and that the government would start a new phase of "continued caution" while the nation learns to live with the virus.
He said that meant encouraging businesses to use certification for events, issuing guidance for the extremely vulnerable, a gradual return to work and for people to meet outside where possible.
The use of face coverings on crowded indoor spaces such as on public transport would also be encouraged.
