'Significant normality by Christmas' - The five key announcements Boris Johnson made during today's Downing Street briefing

Earlier this month, the PM signalled the return of some “socially distanced” live music events this August. Under the proposed plans, from August 1, socially distanced audiences were going to be able to return for indoor performances in theatres, music halls and other venues.However, that decision has now been reversed after the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said the country is now “at the outer edge” of how far it can safely re-open.Speaking at a Downing Street press

coronavirus in the community.Measures due to be lifted on Saturday, including allowing small wedding receptions and reopening bowling alleys and casinos, have been postponed for at least two weeks.Face coverings will also become mandatory in indoor settings such as museums and places of worship from August 8, Boris Johnson said.And England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned that it might not be possible to ease lockdown further.Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester

coronavirus measures.

Boris Johnson is set to hire a £100,000 a year spokesperson to run televised Downing Street briefings along the lines of the US White House news conferences. The controversial new post is being created to host the daily televised press briefings the government plans to start holding in the autumn in an attempt to escape detailed scrutiny by the media.

coronavirus pandemic.

Boris Johnson cannot deny an IndyRef2 if the SNP win a majority of seats at Holyrood at next year's election, Ian Blackford has warned.The Nationalist MP hit back at the Prime Minister after he used a flying to visit to the north of Scotland to once again rule out the prospect of another referendum on independence.Blackford claimed Johnson would be a "democracy denier" if he refused to engage with SNP demands.The Prime Minister insists the issue of independence was settled at the 2014 referendum

The new timetable set out by the government for easing lockdown restrictions from August 1 includes giving businesses more discretion to bring staff back into the workplaces.

a visit to Scotland tomorrow to talk up his dream of a bridge to Northern Ireland. He will also urge Cabinet colleagues to be more "vocal" in Scotland about the UK Government's role in the economic recovery from coronavirus.

Johnson did drop the chief nursing officer of England from a Downing Street briefing because she was critical of Dominic Cumming’s decision to break lockdown rules. Ruth May, the chief nursing officer, confirmed that she was suddenly pulled from a media briefing at the height of the Cummings controversy.

Patel will not be published in full, Downing Street has said. The Prime Minister’s spokesman refused to say if any of its findings will be published before Parliament’s summer recess which begins this Wednesday.Boris Johnson has insisted in the past that he will “stick with Prit” after the Tory minister became the subject of a Cabinet Office probe into whether she bullied staff at the Home Office.

Nicola Sturgeon which pokes fun at Boris Johnson. The First Minister thanked well-wishers after turning 50, which saying she was "overwhelmed" by the number of cards she received after hitting the milestone.

would be needed for a “prolonged period”, while the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned that winter would be "a very complex time". At a Downing Street briefing yesterday, where he outlined a new timetable for lifting the remaining lockdown restrictions from August 1, prime minister Boris Johnson said he hoped for "a more significant return to normality from November".

Boris Johnson has said "the Union has proved its worth" during the coronavirus pandemic despite rising support for Scottish independence in recent months.The Prime Minister praised "the might of the UK Treasury" for setting up the furlough scheme that has seen hundreds of thousands of Scots kept in employment during lockdown.Speaking at a Downing Street press conference today, Johnson also claimed there had been "very close collaboration" between the four nations of the UK in responding to the

Boris Johnson outlined the government's plans to reopen businesses that have had to remain closed throughout the coronavirus pandemic. July has so far seen the reopening of salons, pubs, restaurants and beauticians, with gyms and indoor pools to reopen later this month.Now, Mr Johnson has outlined how he plans to lift the remaining restrictions, with more businesses set to open from August.

Local authorities in England will have new powers from Saturday to tackle coronavirus outbreaks, the Prime Minister has announced.The new powers will allow councils and ministers to close specific premises, shut down outdoor space, and cancel events.Stay at home orders could also be imposed, Boris Johnson added.He unveiled the new tools at a coronavirus press conference on Friday.Speaking from Downing Street, Mr Johnson said: “At the start of the pandemic, we knew far less about the spread of

coronavirus shortly. The press conference will be held from Downing Street at 11am.Mr Johnson is expected to announce an extra £3billion in NHS funding to protect against a possible second wave of coronavirus.