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UK coronavirus: Boris Johnson says he wants some lockdown easing to come into force from Monday

  • UK coronavirus: Boris Johnson says he wants some lockdown easing to come into force from Monday
    PM makes new pledge of 200,000 Covid-19 tests a day by end of May. UK coronavirus: Boris Johnson says he wants some lockdown easing to come into force from Monday
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Europe
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Politics
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By Reuters, BBC
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PM’s says Sunday statement will deal with plans for ‘unlockdown’, and doubles testing target.
PM makes new pledge of 200,000 Covid-19 tests a day by end of May.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced Labour leader Keir Starmer for the first time in Prime Minister's Questions after the PM recovered from coronavirus. The PM, among other things, has said there is an "epidemic" in care homes in the UK "which is something I bitterly regret".

Boris Johnson has signalled that some lockdown measures will be eased on Monday, as he set a new target of 200,000 tests a day by the end of the month.

In his first prime minister’s questions since recovering from coronavirus, Johnson said he would give a statement on Sunday on plans for an “unlockdown”, with a view to making changes on Monday.

Possible areas for change could be allowing more outdoor activities and making clear ways in which businesses could get employees back to work with looser physical distancing.

A review of the lockdown will be carried out on Thursday, but the prime minister said the data which would contribute to the easing of physical distancing measures was still coming in, which was why he had decided to release information to the public over the weekend. He said people needed to know the day before what would change on Monday 11 May.

Johnson said there would be the opportunity for the Commons to debate and interrogate him or the government at a later date – in a hint that he may try to dodge appearing before parliament to answer questions himself next week.

However, a spokesman for Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said: “We are very clear that the PM should be making a statement to the Commons. It is his plan, his proposal and it should be him. We will be expecting him in the chamber on Monday.”

PM says '200,000 daily tests by end of May'
Boris Johnson says the ambition for the government is to hit 200,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of May.

It comes after the government said it had hit its 100,000 testing target for the end of April, including mailed testing kits, but the numbers have since dropped below that mark.