After outlining the plan to ease England's lockdown to MPs this afternoon, the prime minister will lead a Downing Street press conference at 19.00 GMT.

He'll be joined by England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty and the UK government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.

Emma Simpson
Business correspondent

Non-essential retailers will be relieved to finally have a date for re-opening, having already lost more than £22bn in sales.

But it will be too late for Easter holiday trading.

The British Independent Retailers Association has expressed disappointment that its members won’t be able to re-open until April 12.

Businesses weren’t expecting to get the green light before April.

They just want to get going as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Many big retailers don’t want to re-open too early only to face another lockdown down the line. That’s the last thing they want to see.

Image source, Getty Images

The industry trade body, the British Retail Consortium, says it welcomes the additional clarity and that the Government should remain flexible and allow non-essential retail to re-open as soon as possible, when the data allows.

But it also warns that with every day a shop remains closed the chances increase that it will never open again. Until that’s allowed, it wants continued support from government.

For instance, retailers want to know how about business rates – a huge fixed cost.

Along with hospitality, retailers have had a year-long business rates holiday and are waiting to find out how long this support will be extended for to give them some much needed breathing space. The exemption is due to expire on March 31.

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Away from the prime minister's lockdown statement, the first data on the UK Covid vaccine rollout suggests it is having a "spectacular" impact on stopping serious illness, researchers say.

Within weeks, one shot reduces the risk of being admitted to hospital by at least three-quarters for the over-80s.

Researchers says this is particularly impressive as this age group was the most frail and least likely to have a strong immune response.

Monitoring of health staff also shows vaccination helps cut transmission.

The research was carried out separately in Scotland and England, but both studies involved tracking those who had been vaccinated and comparing them against people who had not been.

The study in Scotland found that, by the fourth week after the first dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines, the risk of being admitted to hospital had been reduced by 81%.

The researchers in England followed up those who had a Pfizer vaccine to see if, within two weeks, they became ill, needed to be admitted to hospital or died, and found the risk of being admitted to hospital and dying was reduced by at least 75%.

You can read more here.

Another 178 people have died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus, according to today's government figures., external

And a further 10,641 people have tested positive.

In total, 17,723,840 people have had a first dose of a vaccine, and 624,325 have had a second.

Image source, Reuters

Away from events in the UK, a limited vaccination programme has begun in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, following the delivery of doses donated by Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Several former health ministers have been receiving Russian-made Sputnik V jabs in the Palestinian territory today along with front-line health workers, who will be the initial priority.

Health authorities in Gaza, which is home to two million people, have reported more than 54,000 cases of Covid-19 and 543 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The first shipment of vaccines arrived last Wednesday, after Israel approved the transfer of 2,000 doses given by Russia to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA). On Sunday, 20,000 shots donated by the UAE were delivered via Egypt. Officials have not said when they expect to receive larger shipments.

Gaza has been kept under blockade by Israel and Egypt since the militant Hamas movement took full control of the territory in 2007. The blockade has devastated its economy and, along with disputes between Hamas and the PA, impaired its public health system.

Israel, which has been vaccinating its population at the world’s fastest rate, has transferred 2,000 doses to the PA. It rejects the argument of some human rights groups that as the occupying power it should do much more to help the Palestinians.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Remember all the caveats. Remember Boris Johnson has set out the tests that have to be met for this to go ahead. Remember decisions have been reversed before.

But people across England have a better idea now of what the next few months look like if the virus is kept under control.

Children across the country will be back in schools in a couple of weeks.

We will all be allowed to see our families outdoors in England from 29 March.

A couple of weeks later – we could be taming some of those lockdown hairstyles followed by a drink outside (weather permitting). Families will be allowed to stay together in some self-service accommodation.

Ministers even think it’s possible we could be back in football grounds by mid-May – with full stadia on the cards by the latter stages of the European Championships.

One question raised by the PM’s statement is whether the government has just opened the door to domestic vaccine passports in all but name – something ministers have previously ruled out.

There is going to be a review on whether a vaccine certificate could allow more social contact. This decision hasn’t been taken – but some may now be wondering if it’s on the agenda now.

The PM says he hopes the lockdown in England will be lifted around the 21 June but he stressed the decision to lift restrictions will be driven by data and not dates.

So step four, from no earlier than 21 June, means

• All legal limits on social contact removed with ambition to reopen final closed sectors of the economy such as nightclubs
• Hope to lift restrictions on large events and performances
• Hope to remove all limits on weddings and other "life events".

Up to 10,000 sports fans could be back in stadia by mid-May as part of the government's plans to move England out of lockdown.

It would come as part of step three of the four-stage plan laid out by PM Boris Johnson -by 17 May at the earliest.

The government's plan outlines how up to 10,000 people or a quarter of the stadium's capacity - whichever is the lowest - would be allowed.

It would mean, for example, any Premier League ground with a capacity of 40,000 or more could welcome 10,000 fans, while a smaller crowd, up to a quarter of the normal capacity, would be allowed in smaller venues.

"The turnstiles of our sports stadia will once again rotate," says Johnson.

Under step four of the roadmap, the government says it hopes to lift restrictions on large events from 21 June,

Wembley is due to hold several matches in the delayed Euro 2020 championship in June and July, while there is also a summer of international cricket planned.

You can read more on the implications of the PM's announcement for sports crowds in here.

Her point is echoed by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who calls for Matt Hancock to be replaced as health secretary over the late publication of procurement contracts.

Mr Corbyn, who is sitting as an independent following his suspension as a Labour MP, also calls for an end to "scandalous privatisation" in the NHS.

In response Boris Johnson says the government acted as fast as it could to get items such as protective equipment as quickly as possible during the early stages of the pandemic.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas brings up the issue of PPE contracts, after a court ruled that Health Secretary Matt Hancock acted unlawfully when his department did not reveal details of contracts it had signed during the pandemic on time.

"No one has ever suggested ministers didn't need to act fast to procure PPE and other Covid-related contracts, but transparency matters even in a crisis," she says.

She asks him to publish details of "who benefited from the VIP lane?"

The PM says: "All of the details are on the record and of course it was right to work as fast as we possibly could to get the PPE that this country so desperately needed."

BBC Radio 5 Live

As we hear when venues might reopen, hospitality students have been telling BBC Radio 5 Live their experiences of finding work during the pandemic.

Esme Brown, a final-year hospitality student in Manchester, said it does seem as if there are fewer jobs about.

"I do know there’s a lot of people out there who are really worried about grad jobs," she said. "It just feels like there’s not many to apply for.

"When you search online now, not as many in hospitality come up as they did last year when I was looking ahead of time."

UK Hospitality said that, before the pandemic, the industry employed 3.2 million people, but this figure may have shrunk below two million, because of venues closing or being unable to launch.

Tyler Elsom graduated last year and is working part-time on a "flexible furlough" contract with a hotel in Manchester.

He is optimistic about the future and would still encourage people to pursue a career in hospitality.

"When we came out of the first lockdown, everyone was full, everyone was busy so it’s going to happen again,” he says.

He also says most people he knows from his course have found work.

"Almost everyone’s got jobs,” he says.

Listen to 5 Live on the free BBC Sounds app.

Conservative MP David Simmonds asks the PM to confirm that once schools reopen on 8 March the government will take measures to keep them open to avoid any further disruption to children's education.

Boris Johnson says: "That's exactly why we wish to take this cautious but irreversible approach in order to make sure we don't have to go back into measures that would keep kids out of school again."

Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts says there are people who "cannot afford to self-isolate" and asks the PM whether he will raise statutory sick pay "once and for all".

The PM is not drawn, but says: "We will continue to look after people. Throughout the pandemic we've increased benefits, there's the payment of £500 and other payments we will make available."

He says the chancellor will say more when he announces the Budget on 3 March.

The PM set out a further easing of lockdown restrictions from May with indoor hospitality resuming:

Step three will happen no earlier than 17 May

• Outdoors most social contact rules lifted, up to limit of 30 people
• Mixing indoors allowed for two households, but rule-of-six for indoor hospitality and elsewhere
• Cinemas, soft play centres, museums, rest of accommodation sector, hotels, indoor exercise classes return
• Performances and sporting events resume - larger performances with venues 1,000+ or half full will be allowed indoors and outdoors 4,000 capacity or half full (whichever lowest)
• In very largest outdoor seated venues such as football stadiums up to 10,000 people allowed to attend (or 1/4 full whichever is lowest)
• Up to 30 people can attend weddings, receptions, funerals, wakes.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey asks when all those with learning disabilities will be vaccinated - and asks for everyone in this group to be prioritised for an early jab.

Currently only those with a "severe or profound" learning disability are prioritised in the current wave, in priority group six, along with unpaid carers for those with disabilities and the elderly.

The prime minister replies that those with "particular vulnerabilities" have been prioritised and this is the right thing to do.

Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith says the hospitality sector is a very big employer of the poorest in society, who have suffered most in the crisis, and half of those businesses are talking about closing.

He's asked the prime minister to review again the nature of opening up the inside of pubs and restaurants, checking there is no real risk beyond the other areas he is opening up, and looking again at the dates for reopening.

Boris Johsnon says he understands the urgency but he also knows the risk of another surge and another lockdown.

He says the dates of 12 April for outdoor hospitality and 17 May for indoor hospitality "gives at least some certainty".

"People will be prepared to trade some urgency and some haste for more certainty and more reliability," he says.

Boris Johnson set out plans for a further easing of restrictions in April with the rule-of-six - how many people can meet up - returning outdoors.

Step two will happen no earlier than 12 April

• Non-essential retail, hairdressers, nail salons and libraries open
• Outdoor hospitality in pubs and restaurants allowed with households or rule-of-six
• Most outdoor settings reopen such as zoos and theme parks
• Gyms and indoor swimming pools open

• Self catering holiday accommodation and camp sites reopen
• Funerals continue with up to 30 people
• Weddings with up to 15 people.

Former health secretary and fellow Conservative Jeremy Hunt, who is now chair of the health select committee, says the PM's "caution is absolutely right in the face of these new variants".

He asks whether the PM is committed to "building back better" to thank healthcare staff - which he says involves "training enough doctors and nurses" with a long-term workforce plan and laying out a 10-year plan for the social care sector.

The PM says healthcare workers have "borne the brunt of the pandemic".

"We will certainly be bringing forward reforms of social care in addition to the massive investments we've already made," he says.