The National Gallery is expected to become the first of England’s big museums and galleries to reopen, our colleague Mark Brown reports.

The Muslim Council of Britain has urged communities to “take all practical precautions” before returning to mosques, despite the announcement covering the reopening of places of worship in England.

Secretary general Harun Khan said the MCB had produced a nine-step guide to reopening mosques safely.

The guidance urges mosque leaders to exercise caution when preparing for reopening, as well as reminding individual Muslim community members of the importance of deciding for themselves whether it is safer for them to remain home to pray and attend online services, rather than being physically present in the mosque.

Khan pointed to Office for National Statistics data from last week which revealed Muslim communities have been “hit hardest” by the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that with “the risk of a second wave ever-present” it was “imperative that the preservation of life is at the forefront of the minds of mosque leaders and Muslim community members in the coming weeks”.

Former chief scientific adviser to the government Sir David King has been speaking to the BBC, saying that easing the 2-metre rule in indoor venues could put people at “much greater risk” of catching coronavirus.

King, who chairs the Independent Sage group of scientists, told BBC News:

It sounds alright if you’re out of doors and you do keep that one-metre distance apart. But if you’re indoors you’re at a much greater risk because you’re sitting in proximity to other people, you’re not wearing masks if you’re in restaurants and pubs and the level of viral infection in the air could well be quite high.

Wrapping up, Johnson says our understanding of the virus has changed - and our ability to fight it.

He says test and trace can be a real game-changer.

The virus is the same, and just as dangerous. But we are better at dealing with it. That should be giving people more confidence, he says.

He ends with the slogan: stay alert, follow the guidance and save lives, he says.

And that’s it. The press conference is over.

Q: Your new son will never have to face the inequalities facing other children that have been exacerbated by this crisis. What are you doing to help those children?

Johnson says he understands the problem. He wants to get more children back into school. That is about social justice, he says.

He says there are parts of the country that need more investment in schools and rural broadband.

And he says he wants to see more one-to-one tutoring.

Q: Can people go on foreign holidays if they are willing to observe quarantine?

Johnson says the current advice says people should not go abroad unnecessarily. But that is being reviewed.

And Britain is a fantastic country to visit, he says.

Q: Are you confident that the test and trace system is working properly?

Whitty says test and trace is already making a contribution. But he is concerned that people with symptoms are not getting tested. And he wants people to engage seriously with it.

He says it is improving every day and will get better over the summer.

Q: [From Macer Hall from the Daily Express] How long will it be before we see the back of hand sanitisers?

Vallance says he cannot put a time on this. Either it will go away, which he does not think is likely, or there will be therapeutics. We are on the way with that, he says. And vaccines are being explored.

He says he is “optimistic” that some of these measures will work.

Whitty says he would be “surprised and delighted” if we were not still going through this in the winter and the spring.

But he says he is very confident that, in the long term, science can beat infectious diseases.

Q: [To the PM] What are you most looking forward to?

Johnson says he would like to go to the theatre, to the Globe in London. He would like to go to a restaurant. He would like to get his hair cut.

This is as far as we can go for now, he says.

But he says today’s package is not the summit of his ambition.

He says people must not overdo it.

Vallance says the package of measures is reasonable.

If there are outbreaks, you need to address them, he says.

Measuring and monitoring will become an important part of this, he says.

Johnson says he can’t wait to go to a pub or restaurants. He wants to see people going out, “bustle and activity”.

But he also wants to see people staying alert and following the guidance.

Johnson says this package should be positive for business, because it combines reopening with caution.

Whitty says we will be living with this virus for a very long time.

In the winter measures might have to be reintroduced, he says.

But, over time, the medicine available may change. And our understanding of what counter-measures work may change, he says.

“It is going to be a long haul,” he says.

Vallance says it is “extremely unlikely” that the virus will burn itself out and disappear.

He says a vaccine might appear. You can be “moderately optimistic” that one of the many vaccine projects might work.

And treatments may become available, he says. He says he hopes this will become a manageable disease.

Q: Why is there a problem with meat processing factories?

Vallance says the meat itself does not produce a risk.

But the environment is a difficult one. It is cold, which the virus likes. And it is loud; people might be shouting. And workers might be close together.

Whitty says it is often the social environment around work that poses the risk.

The first question is from Suzanne, a member of the public. When will GPs and dental services get back to normal?

Johnson says dental services resumed two weeks ago.

Whitty says GPs have been working through the crisis. They have changed the way they work. Many of those changes will make sense for the longer term.

On dentists, he says their work is particularly high risk, because dental work generates a lot of droplets.

He says they have found a way of working in this phase, which will go on for “really quite a prolonged period”.

Johnson says, before taking questions, that the government is winding down these press conferences.

That is because, as they control the virus, they have less to say.

All the information in the slides will still be published, he says.

Whitty says “we have to live alongside this virus for the foreseeable future”.

No decisions are without risks, he says. He says all countries are having to look at how they manage risk.

He says people must get a test and self-isolate if they develop symptoms.

He says people should do things that make it harder for the virus to be passed on, such as washing hands and wearing face coverings.

He says a lot of the changes made today relate to the risks of the virus being passed from one household to another. The moves are designed to ensure that people can be together in a safer way.

He says shielding can protect the very vulnerable.

And scientists are looking for cures and treatments. This will be important too.

He ends by saying it is critical that people take these measures seriously.

Vallance says the disease is declining in the UK.

But it is spreading around the world, he says.

Vallance says the latest R number for the UK is between 0.7 and 0.9.

He presents a slide with the latest estimate from the ONS as to the level of infection. It is flattening off, not disappearing entirely, he says.

Johnson says he had a plan and he stuck to it.

He has asked a huge amount of people, he says. They responded with good humour and common sense.

The fight is far from over, he says. He says there will be local outbreaks. And if the government runs out of control, he will put on the handbrake and reverse some of these moves, either locally or nationally.

He says the public could be trusted to beat this back with common sense.

But some premises, like nightclubs, swimming pools and indoor gyms, have to remain closed, Johnson says.

He says guidelines will be produced to enable them to open in a Covid secure way later.

He says two households will be allowed to meet. They can stay overnight. But people should maintain social distancing, he says.

He says this will require people to act responsibly. But he is sure they will do this. The police will still be able to break up large gatherings, he says. But he says the police do not want to have to do this, and people do not want them to be doing this either, he says.

Johnson is now running through the list of places in England that will be allowed to open from 4 July.

See 4.14pm for a full list.

Johnson says he is now in a position to change the guidance.

He says the two-metre rule kept us safe when the disease was prevalent. Now we can move to one metre plus, he says. He says that means people should stay one metre apart, and use mitigations such as screens and masks.

He says guidance is being issued to businesses to allow them to take the steps that is right for them.

Here are the slides relating to the five tests presented by Johnson.

Boris Johnson starts with the slides.

The first relates to the five tests. He says they have provided the guide to easing lockdown.

Nick Stylianou from Sky News has some press conference statistics.

Scotland’s largest teaching union the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has said its still wants “an appropriate level of physical distancing between pupils and most certainly between pupils and staff” in schools, despite the Scottish government’s earlier announcement that pupils should prepare to return to school in August full time, without significant classroom distancing.

The EIS said that it still wants to see protective measures in schools “such as mandatory face coverings, protective perspex shields, proactive testing of teachers and an appropriate level of physical distancing”.

Meanwhile, GMB Scotland raised concerns that school support staff’s safety was being ignored, as Scottish education secretary John Swinney said that a “blended” system of at-home and in-school learning, to allow 2 metre distancing in classrooms, would remain a contingency plan.

GMB Scotland Organiser Helen Meldrum said: “An army of hidden, low-paid staff, and predominantly women, are being left to get on with it; like cleaners equipped with little more than a risk assessment form and a mop and bucket, or teaching assistants who don’t yet know their hours or how they can balance work and childcare.”

The National Education Union says, even with the 2-metre rule abandoned in favour of a one-metre rule, it is still sceptical about pupils in England being able to return safely to school in September. This is from its joint general secretary, Mary Bousted.

The NEU is of course in favour of all children being back in school, but even with a one-metre rule that will need more teachers and more spaces.

It is not clear whether in less than three months the science will permit classes of 30. If social distancing of one metre remains in place, that will still be difficult for schools. Class sizes are already at record highs in secondary schools, but the current situation calls for groups around half that size.

The full NEU statement is here.

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has suggested that gyms could open some time next month, despite not being included in the government’s list of business that can operate from 4 July.

These are from Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, on her government’s decision to get pupils returning to school full time in August, instead of opting for the “blended learning” model. (See 3.50pm.)

From the Welsh government

In a candid article on our website Alex Rushmer explains why he won’t be reopening his Cambridge restaurant on 4 July - despite what the PM announced this afternoon. Here’s an extract.

A lack of clear decision-making at the start of the crisis gives me little confidence that the government will successfully negotiate our exit from it. Lockdown easing in places as diverse as Florida, Germany and Beijing hasresulted in infection spikes and increases in R rates. Covid-19 isn’t going away. With no guidance about how to reopen safely and no support network if lockdown measures need to be ratcheted up again, reopening a small independent restaurant is a gamble I cannot take.

Track and trace presents a further issue. A diner displaying symptoms of Covid-19, or who tests positive (and informs the restaurant) presents us with significant decisions – both financial and health-related – that we do not have the skills, training or information to handle correctly. It should mean a mandatory two-week shutdown (in line with the current guidance for individuals) of the restaurant to prevent any further spread. The prospect of taking reservations, stocking a kitchen, preparing a menu, calling staff back from furlough and reopening, only to have to close again at a moment’s notice, is truly terrifying.

From HuffPost’s Paul Waugh

Sky’s Sam Coates has a useful list of all the venues opening in England.

The Society of Independent Brewers has said that, although Boris Johnson’s announcement about pubs being allowed to open in England is welcome, the sector will need a lot more support. Its chief executive James Calder said:

The prime minister’s announcement today is what the nation has been waiting for. But hundreds of brewers and thousands of pubs are still on the precipice. Many will struggle with table service only when ordering from a bar can be done safely.

Beer sales will not return to normal levels anytime soon, so the UK’s brewers need a continued support package and a clear roadmap for how they will be financially supported. Government has failed to meet its own timetable, and failed to support brewers in the same way the rest of hospitality has been. Whilst today’s news is a positive step, we have a lot more work to do yet.

Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse has dropped out of the race to lead her party, throwing her support behind fellow MP Layla Moran. You can read her statement here –

PureGym, one of the UK’s largest operators with more than 1 million members, has said criticised the government for claiming to be “at war with obesity”, while also allowing restaurants and pubs to open before gyms.

In a statement, the company said:

We understand that these decisions are not easy, but it is a strange ‘war on obesity’ that sees pubs and restaurants open before gyms.

Our facilities are, on average, the size of five or six doubles tennis courts and are exceptionally well ventilated, enabling people to work and exercise safely and securely.

Through our existing electronic entry system, we know the names and details of every single member in our facilities at any moment.

The statement added that industry-agreed guidance on hygiene and social distancing was submitted to the government early in May and continued:

We are bitterly disappointed that the one sector that has the potential to help people and that has developed clearly workable protocols for safe operations is prevented from opening for a further undefined period.

The TUC is saying firms should be legally required to publish their Covid-19 risk plans. Responding to the PM’s announcement, the TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said:

Re-opening the economy must go hand-in-hand with protecting workers. But we are already seeing examples of companies playing fast and loose with workers’ safety.

The government must crank-up the pressure on employers to publish their risk assessments, so that people have the confidence that it is safe to return to work. This is particularly important for vulnerable and shielded workers.

Voluntary publication of risk assessments isn’t enough. The government must change the law to require bigger employers to publish them. And those who fail to keep their workers safe must be fined – and if necessary, shut down.

The National Caravan Council has welcomed Boris Johnson’s announcement. Its director, John Lally, said:

This is great news for the 2 plus million caravan owners and for the parks industry in England - and not a moment too soon. We have been working hard to explain to government that caravan products are ‘socially distanced by design’ and that the parks industry across the UK can be safe places for people to holiday. Not only are caravans required to be 5m or 6m apart, but caravan parks are big open spaces, the ideal base for hard working families to enjoy the great outdoors.

The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, who leads the Church of England’s Recovery Group, welcomed the announcement that places of worship can reopen from 4 July.

The last three months have been an extraordinary time – the first period without public worship and the sacraments in England in more than 800 years. There will be real joy as we begin to come together again – if even at a physical distance – but I also know that many will be understandably cautious at this news.

We will not be returning to normality overnight – this is the next step on a journey. We’ve been planning carefully, making detailed advice available for parishes to enable them to prepare to hold services when it is safe and practical to do so. It is important to say that the change in government guidance is permissive, not prescriptive.

She added that “the online services and dial-in worship offerings we have become used to will continue”.

Marston’s chief Ralph Findlay has been speaking to PA Media. He has said he expects the company will reopen 80 to 85% of its 1,400 pubs from 4 July after being given the go-ahead to open sites with “1-metre-plus” distancing in place.

I welcome the news. If two-metre distancing had stayed in place we would have only been able to reopen around 25% of our pubs. This is a positive step, but I think there is also now a case for some kind of stimulus to help consumer spending. Personally, I feel a VAT cut, which has been touted, would work.

He said he was concerned by speculation that customers might have to register their names at the bar. (The prime minister said specific safety measures for pubs, restaurants and other sites will still be clarified.) Findlay said:

Our pubs will meet the latest guidelines and we will ensure table-spacing, masks for staff, and other precautions.

This is from the Green Party MP Caroline Lucas –

Some of the largest museums and galleries have issued a joint statement welcoming the announcement that they will be able to begin to welcome back visitors.

Tate, Science Museum Group, Natural History Museum, National Gallery, British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum directors said:

We will now work closely with government, trade unions and supporters to see how and when we can open our doors again in a financially sustainable manner, for the long term.

The British public have faced a wretched few months of isolation, loss, and anxiety in confronting the Covid-19 pandemic.

The reopening of museums – whose galleries speak to the creative, resilient power of the human spirit – will provide solace and inspiration as Britain looks to the future.

Museums live through the conversation between object and visitor. Our collections are held in trust not to be hidden away, but to be discussed, challenged, and loved – a role of particular significance as we reflect on current debates around crucial issues including racial equality, social justice, and climate change.

This is from the culture secretary –

The Boris Johnson Commons statement has now finished.

The full text of his opening remarks is here.

More reaction and analysis coming soon.

Teaching unions have warned that the prime minister’s announcement of a relaxation of the 2-metre physical distancing rule to 1 metre is not a magic bullet and will not ensure that all children return to schools in England in September.

Responding to Boris Johnson’s statement to MPs that schools would reopen “with full attendance”, Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said it was pure fantasy. “It may be possible to accommodate more pupils in classrooms with a 1m separation, but not all pupils. There just isn’t enough space in many classrooms to do this.”

Barton also questioned education secretary Gavin Williamson’s announcement last week that the protective social bubbles of 15 children currently being used in schools to limit transmission of the virus could be doubled to 30 to facilitate a full return to schools.

“The idea of a social bubble is to have a consistent group which doesn’t mix with other pupils, whether it is 15 or 30. It is difficult to see how this could be achieved with pupils moving between different subject groups, and in playgrounds, corridors, sports fields, and transport to and from school.”

Barton went on: “We need a proper strategy to bring children back into schools and colleges based in reality and on public health guidance.”

ASCL’s scepticism was echoed by Dr Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union. “The NEU is of course in favour of all children being back in school, but even with a one-metre rule that will need more teachers and more spaces.If social distancing of 1m remains in place, that will still be difficult for schools.”

New government figures on school attendance in England show numbers creeping up slowly, with 9.1% of pupils in school on 11 June, up from 6.9% a week earlier. Just over a quarter (26%) of children in year six were in attendance, up from 19% on 4 June, with 20% attendance in year 1 up from 13%, and 22% in reception up from 15%.

Robert Goodwill, a Conservative, asks for an assurance that the pleasure cruiser sector will have to comply with guidelines that will be uniformly enforced across the country.

Johnson agrees with the need for this.

Labour’s Andrew Gwynne says, even with a 1-metre rule, some schools, particularly in Victorian buildings, will struggle.

Johnson says between now and 1 September the government will work with the sector to get a clear understanding of the risks.

He says he hopes by then the incidence will be done so much they can go forward in a more “normalised” way.

Richard Burgon, the Labour MP, accuses Johnson of gambling with people’s lives. He says Johnson has just made this announcement to appease Tory MPs.

Johnson disagrees. And he points out that the Labour frontbench disagrees with Burgon too.

Bill Wiggin, a Conservative, says he got Covid-19 on the same day as the PM. Yesterday he was given a free test. Does the PM agree that it would help testing more people to see if they have had it?

Johnson agrees. He says it looks as if just 6 or 7% of the population has had the virus. Testing is the answer, he says. He says this country is testing roughly twice as many people per head as any other European country.

Labour’s Justin Madders asks what the PM says to allow those firms who have spent great sums on introducing the 2-metre rule. And will it be changed in the Commons chamber?

Johnson says that will be a matter for the Commons. As for business, guidance is being published, he says.

Johnson says 87,000 people have been contacted by test and trace and have agreed to self-isolate. That is fantastic, he says. He says the common sense of the British people will get us through this.

Huw Merriman, a Conservative, asks what will happen if demand exceeds supply on transport. If necessarily, will the government look again at the one-metre rule.

Johnson just restates the need for people to wear face coverings.

Steve Baker, a Conservative, asks if the PM will have a meeting with a specialist in “expert failure” to discuss what can be done better.

Johnson says the guidance from scientists has been extremely valuable. But decisions have been taken by government. He takes full responsibility, he says.

Labour’s Catherine West asks what the PM is doing to stop black and minority ethnic communities getting Covid-19.

Johnson says he wants enhanced testing, and more immediate testing, for these groups.

And there are lessons to be learnt for the future. That is why he has set up a commission.

Johnson urges people to have a staycation in the UK.

Labour’s Lucy Powell says restaurants and pubs in Manchester will welcome the announcement. But what will happen to firms like gyms that have to remain closed.

Johnson says the government has set up taskforces to try to enable sectors like that to open as soon as possible.

Labour’s Lloyd Russell-Moyle says small businesses in Brighton welcome the scheme. But they are worried about taking staff off furlough, and not being able to furlough them again if the firm is not viable.

Johnson urges firms to open up again, provided they do it in a sensible way.

Chris Grayling, the Conservative former cabinet minister, asks about people working in the creative industries. Will the government do more to ease the pressure on this sector.

Johnson says he is doing a huge amount to support this sector.

Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem MP, asks Johnson “to end the much-ridiculed quarantine period” for people coming to the UK.

Johnson says he thinks it is sensible for the UK to have measures in place to protect it from infection from abroad.

Johnson claims the test and trace system is working better and better, and will be essential to the country’s success.

Holly Mumby-Croft, a Conservative, says Scunthorpe hospital needs an upgrade more than ever.

Johnson says he is investing record sums. He claims he is going to build 40 new hospitals (a claim widely debunked as misleading). He says it is time to double down on the building programme.

John Lamont, a Scottish Conservative, says Scots are not benefiting from this. He says Nicola Sturgeon should publish evidence to back her approach.

Johnson says in the past Sturgeon has pre-empted him with announcements uncannily similar to ones he has been making.

Labour’s Peter Kyle asks what will be done to protect places like Hove, which he represents. He says pubs won’t be able to take the names of all people. The seafront will be crowded, he says.

Johnson says he will urge people like Kyle to show some “guts” and champion reopening. He says he thinks people will understand the need for pubs to take names. Kyle should encourage pubs to back this idea, he says.

Labour’s Dame Diana Johnson asks why pubs are opening ahead of the full opening of schools.

Boris Johnson says he wants the economy to open in a covid-secure way. He claims schools reopening in September is ahead of what is happening in some other European countries. He says Johnson should encourage her Labour colleagues to encourage pupils to go back.

Labour’s Ben Bradshaw asks why it is taking two weeks to scrap the disastrous quarantine policy.

Johnson says the government does not want to see infection brought in from abroad.

Sir Graham Brady, the Conservative chair of the 1922 Committee, asks for an assurance that air bridges will be in place by 4 July.

Johnson confirms that this is being looked at.

Johnson says two theories have been advanced to him as to why there are so many outbreaks in meat processing plants. One says the cold is responsible. Another says it is staff congregating together.

Miriam Cates, a Conservative, asks if this announcement means people can ask friends and family to help with childcare.

Johnson says it does mean that.

Gary Streeter, a Conservative, asks if the government will support the tourism sector through the winter.

Johnson says he is looking at what can be done. He urges tourism areas to roll out the welcome sign for visitors.

Anna McMorrin, the Labour MP, says cooperation between the four nations has ended. Cobra has not met for weeks. She says Johnson should follow the example of the Labour government in Wales.

Johnson repeats his call for the Welsh government to rethink the five-mile rule.

Richard Graham, a Conservative, asks if schools and FE colleges will be able to go back normally in September.

Johnson agrees. He says that is what he wants.

Johnson says the government wants to get the prevalence of coronavirus down so much that shielding is no longer needed.

Andrea Leadsom, the Conservative former business secretary, says there has been a national outpouring of support for the elderly. But the young have not had the same help. What is being done for people with babies, like himself?

Johnson says he is doing fine.

He says wraparound childcare is coming back in the summer.

Here is the Downing Street press release about the PM’s announcement.

The SNP’s Ronnie Cowan asks Johnson to condemn firms abusing the furlough scheme.

Johnson says he will look at this issue. But he says the furlough scheme has been a success. There is nothing like it around the world, he claims.

(That’s not true according to the IFS, which has said the UK’s coronavirus economic bailout is not exceptional by G7 standards.)

Gareth Johnson, a Conservative, asks Johnson to encourage people to “do their patriotic best for Britain” and go to the pub.

Boris Johnson says people understand the risks. He wants to see people in shops and enjoying hospitality. But they must do it in a responsible way.

Labour’s Tracy Brabin asks for an assurance that councils will get all the money they need to keep their areas safe. And why are meat processing plants presenting such a risk?

Johnson says the government is looking at the meat processing plant issue.

The Conservative Damian Green asks Johnson to ensure that messages in future are as clear as possible.

Johnson says the British people have shown massive common sense so far. He is sure that will continue.

Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru leader at Westminster, says people crave competence. Yet this government wasted money on a failed app. What assessment has been made of the risks of these measures provoking a second peak that the NHS cannot handle.

Johnson says he has his doubts about the five-mile rule in Wales.

But he says he agrees on the need to protect against a second outbreak. He says he thinks the government can now use “local whack-a-mole” to deal with local outbreaks.

Sara Britcliffe, a Conservative, asks what can be done to allow pubs to use outdoor space. And she invites Johnson to visit one of her local pubs.

Johnson jokes there is not an area of the country that he does not intend to visit.

Sir Ed Davey, the acting Lib Dem leader, says it is urgent that we learn the lessons. If there is a breathing space now, we should hold an inquiry now.

Johnson says there will be a time to learn lessons. But a full-scale inquiry would not be a good use of time now, he says.

Johnson is replying to Blackford.

He says he is happy to confirm that these measures are just for England.

And he says he agrees with much of what Blackford said about the dangers of a second spike.

He says the devolved administrations are closer to London than people assume.

And he says any air bridges decision will be based on public health.

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, says keeping people safe should be the priority.

China and Germany are experiencing second spikes, he says.

He says a second spike would not just be a health disaster, but an economic disaster.

He says the government has wasted time and money on a botched test and trace system.

Will the PM publish not just the conclusions, but the full review of the two-metre rule review?

Will any air bridges plan be based on a health assessment, not an economic assessment?

Will the devolved administrations be consulted on the air bridges plan?

And will the PM agree that this announcement is just for England.

Johnson is responding to Starmer.

He says the scientists think this will not cause a second wave.

On local government, he says his government will support them and give them what they need.

He says he does not think any other country in the world has done as much to support business.

On track and trace (as Johnson calls it - it is now officially called test and trace), he claims that no country has a properly functioning app.

(That is not a claim that countries using test and trace apps would accept.)

And Johnson suggests that Starmer has now performed a U-turn, because Starmer is now saying it is safe for children to return to school.

Starmer can be seen shaking his head. (He has never accepted the Johnson characterisation that he was against children returning to school.)

Starmer asks for assurances that Johnson has the support of Sage.

He asks for assurances about test and trace.

Labour wants more detail and more clarity. But it welcomes this, he says.

Here is my colleague Heather Stewart’s story on the announcement from Johnson.

Johnson says schools in England will reopen in September for primary and secondary school pupils in full.

He says, after the toughest restrictions in peacetime history, the government is now making it easier for people to see friends and family, and to go to work.

Johnson says pubs and hairdressers will be allowed to open up in England from 4 July.

Some other services, like nail bars, will be allowed to open if they can do so in a safe way, he says.

He says people from one household will be able to stay overnight at another.

And he says campsites will be allowed to open, provided washing facilities and toilets can be kept clean.

But indoor facilities, such as gyms, bowling alleys and water parks, will have to stay closed, he says.

But the government will work with the sector to look at how they can open up.

It will work with orchestras and choirs to look at how they can start performing again.

And he says places of worship will be allowed to reopen for prayer and services and even weddings for a maximum of 30 people, subject to social distancing.

Johnson says the virus’s only interest is in recapturing ground vacated by people.

So the only certainty is, the fewer contacts, the better, he says.

Johnson says the experts say that the risk from “one metre plus” is broadly similar to the risk from two metres once the mitigating factors are taken into account.

Johnson says the Covid-19 alert level has been downgraded from four to three.

The administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will respond to this in their own way, he says.

But all parts of the UK are moving in the same direction.

Johnson says the pandemic has inflicted lasting damage.

But yesterday the rolling average of daily deaths stood at 130.

He says the government does not believe there is currently a risk of a second peak that would overwhelm the NHS.

Johnson says from the outset the government has trusted “in the common sense and perseverance of the British people”. That trust has been rewarded, he says.

The number of new infections is falling by between 2% and 4% every day.

A month ago, one in 400 people had coronavirus. Now it is one in 1,700.

He says the public threw a human shield around the NHS, and the NHS has protected us.

Boris Johnson is making his Commons statement now.

He starts with condolences to the family and friends of the three men killed in the Reading park attack.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, has now given what is effectively a three-minute warning ahead of the PM’s statement.

(He has to suspend business for a short period to allow MPs to leave the chamber in a socially distanced way and new MPs to come in.)

Local outbreaks of Covid-19 could grow undetected because the government is failing to share crucial testing data, council leaders and scientists have warned.

More than a month after being promised full details of who has caught the disease in their areas, local health chiefs are still desperately lobbying the government’s testing tsar, Dido Harding, to break the deadlock and share the data.

The situation was described by one director of public health as a “shambles”, while a scientist on the government’s own advisory committee said it was “astonishing” that public health teams were unable to access the information.

The prime minister said on Friday the country was moving from “a huge one-size-fits-all national lockdown programme to one in which we’re able to do more localised responses”, and ministers have told councils and their public health directors to take the lead.

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Sir David King, the former government chief scientific adviser, has told the BBC that he thinks it is “far too early” for the government to be relaxing the two-metre rule, as it is proposing to do for England.

King chairs Independent Sage, the group of independent scientists set up as an alternative to Sage, the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and he was reiterating the argument made be Independent Sage in a report at the weekend saying that the two-metre rule should stay. At the time King said:

It is extremely concerning that the government appears to have decided to ignore the scientific advice of its own Sage committee. That quite clearly says it it is soon to reduce the distance from 2 metres to 1 metre. Independent Sage has done its own review of the available evidence and we agree with Sage’s conclusion.

The rate of infection is still far too high to consider this even with mitigating measures. There are more 1,000 new cases a day and still no functioning tracing system. It is vital that the government releases the evidence it has used to make this decision.

Until now the government’s official scientific advisers on Sage have backed the existing two-metre rule, although that may change today. Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, who co-chair Sage, are appearing at the PM’s press conference later, and they are likely to give some approval to the government’s decision to abandon the two-metre rule - although journalists will be listening carefully for any evidence that they might be more hesitant about this move than Boris Johnson.

This paper (pdf) from late April, from the Sage environmental and modelling group (EMG), is a good example of what Sage used to say about the two-metre rule. It says:

For most circumstances the 2m rule is simple and is a good measure of the distance where the direct person-to-person transmission risk drops significantly although should be seen as a ballpark guide to distancing rather than an absolute value. EMG recommends that this rule is retained for public guidance, however they could be reassured that short duration closer contacts (e.g. passing a person in the street or in the supermarket) especially in outdoor environments are highly likely to be associated with a low exposure risk.

These are from the Financial Times’ Chris Giles, who has been using published data to produce an estimate for the overall UK excess deaths figure.

The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the huge benefits immigration has brought to the UK, a report has argued.

In a new publication, the race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust says the country’s reliance on low-paid, often migrant workers in frontline services during the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the immigration system as “dysfunctional, cruel and in need of reform”.

The report, From Expendable to Key Workers and Back Again: Immigration and the Lottery of Belonging in Britain, criticises the immigration bill going through parliament.

The legislation will bring to fruition the promise of an “Australian-style points-based system”, pledged by Boris Johnson as part of the Vote Leave campaign during the EU referendum, and will make it harder for “low-skilled” workers to come to the UK.

The trust said the bill would close the doors on people such as those “who have been working for the NHS, in care homes, for public transport services and in supermarkets, playing a vital role on the frontline of keeping the country moving in an unprecedented national crisis”.

A recent ICM poll for British Future found that the Covid-19 pandemic had shifted public opinion to be more supportive of those labelled “low-skilled” workers. Two-thirds of the public (64%) agreed that “the coronavirus crisis has made me value the role of ‘low skilled’ workers in essential services such as care homes, transport and shops, more than before”.

The trust is calling on the government to scrap the no recourse to public funds policy, which denies some arrivals to the UK access to the welfare safety net, and lift the ban on working while asylum claims are processed. It said there should be a maximum 28-day time limit for immigration detention and an automatic judicial oversight of decisions to detain.

And on the subject of care homes (see 10.42am), for the first time on Thursday MPs will hold a debate triggered by e-petitions in the main House of Commons chamber, instead of in the Westminster Hall annex, where debates on petitions are normally held. The debate has been prompted by four petitions, including one saying NHS staff should be paid more (signed by 162,000 people) and one saying social care should get parity of esteem with the NHS (signed by 43,000 people).

Debates on petitions have no direct effect - MPs don’t vote to approve specific policies - but they do raise the profile of some causes.

Catherine McKinnell, the MP who chairs the Commons petitions committee, said:

It feels absolutely fitting that our first ever e-petition debate to take place in the main chamber of the House of Commons should be about recognising and rewarding their hard work, caring for us and our loved ones at a time of national need.

And these are from Nick Stripe, head of the health analysis and life events division at the ONS, on today’s figures.

This is from my colleague Pamela Duncan on the ONS figures today.

The Commons health and social care committee has been taking evidence this morning from staff in the care home industry. Sue Ann Balcombe, registered manager at the Priscilla Wakefield House Nursing Home in north London, told MPs on the committee that care staff were seen as “underdogs and the Cinderellas”. She explained:

I think the recognition that the NHS has as a professional body is not the same for social care. We’re seen as the, sorry to put it this way, underdogs and the Cinderellas. I don’t see that nurses get the same respect that nurses get in the NHS, yet they have a much more wide range of knowledge and skills.

She also said that her home, which is mostly funded by the local authority or clinical commissioning groups, could only pay staff at the minimum wage because of the amount of funding they received. But that did not reflect the value of the work done by staff, she said.

[Paying only minimum wage] wouldn’t be something that we’d consider if the funding was there to [make a pay increase] happen.But I do think there needs to be some value attached to that, so that we can recognise our staff and the hard work they do.

The Treasury has revealed loans to businesses hit by the coronavirus lockdown have totalled more than £40bn up to June 21, including £28.1bn in bounce-back loans, £10.5bn through the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS), £2.1bn in coronavirus large business interruption loan scheme (CLBILS) to larger firms and £236.2m as part of its future fund. The full details are in a Treasury release here.

The government, which is guaranteeing the vast majority of the loans, should they not be repaid, added that 9.2m jobs were covered by the furlough scheme, operated by HM Revenue and Customs, with 1.1m businesses claiming a total of £22.9bn up to June 21.

Northern Ireland has signalled that it will be issuing new lockdown guidelines soon; under devolved government, health falls to Northern Ireland’s government.

Speaking of England, Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, said: “I appreciate many people do want to see things starting to get back to whatever that new normal will be.”

Pressed on how social distancing would be enforced in reopened pubs, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If we are able to say to pubs and other establishments that they are able to open in the near future, we will be issuing guidelines as well.

“So that they can have some confidence about what is expected of them to create a safe environment.”

He added: “I think the reality is we are all going to have to get used to this new kind of normal as we go forward, where we have to take some self-responsibility.”

• This segment was amended on 23 June 2020 to make clear that Brandon Lewis’s comments pertained to England only.

The mayor of the West Midlands has unveiled a blueprint seeking £3.2bn of investment to kickstart the region’s economy following the Covid-19 lockdown.

The three-year plan, announced today, is being put to central government and sets out “immediate actions” needed to stimulate the economy in the short term, in ways that will also support a long-term sustainable recovery.

Drawn up by the area’s political, business and trade union leaders, the blueprint urges the government to work with them to “reset, rebuild and recharge” the region.

The Conservative mayor, Andy Street, and Ian Brookfield, the West Midlands combined authority’s portfolio holder for economy and innovation, are seeking £3.2bn of investment over the next three years.

Street said: “The West Midlands economy was in good shape before the coronavirus pandemic first struck, and we need to do everything we can to get back on our feet quickly, learning the lessons of our rebound from the financial crash of 2008-09.”

Measures to create green manufacturing jobs by harnessing electrification, and to invest in healthcare innovation are included in the blueprint.

Hello, I am looking after updates on the blog this morning. As ever, if you have any tips, stories or things which you think we should be covering please send them across to my email: nazia.parveen@theguardian.com or follow me on Twitter to send me a direct message.

A World Health Organization (WHO) expert has warned that the UK needs to be careful as lockdown measures are eased.

Dr Margaret Harris said the country had done well in bringing the number of coronavirus infections down, but added: “The lesson is for people to understand this is the year of living differently. Not, ‘OK, it’s over’. You haven’t just been let out of school.”

In the interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said:

You have done well. You have really brought down your numbers. The UK has brought a very difficult outbreak right down.

Very good news in the last couple of days about the limitation in cases, and far, far fewer people dying. So, now is the moment to celebrate that by being super-careful.

Former chancellor Sajid Javid has called for national insurance to be cut to boost recovery, warning that an immediate economic bounce-back from the coronavirus crisis is unlikely.

In a joint report with the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), a right-leaning thinktank, Javid called for national insurance to be given a “significant, temporary” reduction to make it cheaper for employers to take on staff.

The former cabinet minister, who resigned from the Treasury in February, said early hopes of a V-shaped recovery had “proved optimistic”.

He predicted “some long-term damage to the economy” had become unavoidable, with as many as 2.5 million people out of work due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

But in order to speed up the rate of people re-entering employment, Javid argued in the report, After The Virus (pdf), published on Tuesday, that ministers must make it easier for businesses to hire workers.

Other recommendations made in the report include temporarily cutting VAT and bringing forward “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects, with Javid arguing the “only way out of this crisis is growth”.