No plans to shut pubs after rise in cases

There are currently no plans to shut pubs after a rise in coronavirus transmissions in England, said the Housing Secretary.

Robert Jenrick, asked on Times Radio whether the Government would look to close pubs in such an event, said: "We don't have any plans to do that."

He also said schools would definitely return to full capacity in September and confirmed it would be the priority should there be a second spike of infections.

"I think you're right to say that reopening schools and getting our children back into the classroom with that direct face-to-face contact with their teachers will be a priority for the Government when we have to make those tough choices," he said.

Mr Jenrick said that any fresh restrictions were unlikely to apply wholesale, adding: "We don't want to do anything that is a blanket approachacrossthecountry.

"Our strategy is to manage this in a localised way with targeted action as we've done in Leicester, as we're doingnowinthenorth-west.

"We will follow the data and look at options if we have to but that approach is the way we restrict in certain areas – it is difficult for those who live there but it provides greater freedom for the rest of the country, for businesses to reopen and for people to get on with their daily lives, and that has to be the way forward if we can."

Meanwhile, there are reports that the Prime Minister has ordered a plan for avoiding a second national lockdown.

The claims come after Boris Johnson was forced to announce a slow down of the lockdown easing on Friday.