Summary

  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended lifting nearly all of England's Covid restrictions despite rising cases, saying: "If not now, when?"

  • There are no limits on how many people can meet, the 1m-plus distancing rule is over and face coverings are optional

  • But only the fully vaccinated will be allowed to enter nightclubs and other big events by end of September, PM says

  • The sector has reacted with anger, with Michael Kill, of the Night Time Industries Association, calling it "an absolute shambles"

  • Stock markets across UK, Europe and US dropped sharply on fears rising cases will hamper economic recovery

  • The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning Americans against travelling to the UK

  • Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says lifting all coronavirus restrictions is "reckless"

  • Children over 12 at higher risk of getting ill with Covid will be offered the jab

  • So will some healthy children over 12 who live with vulnerable people and those on the cusp of turning 18

  • In Scotland, rules are also changing, with looser limits on indoor gatherings, but masks will remain compulsory in shops and on public transport

  • There have been a further 39,950 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in UK and 19 deaths within 28 days of a positive test

  • Mr Johnson, the chancellor and the health secretary are self-isolating

Live Reporting

Edited by Claire Heald, Martha Buckley and Vanessa Barford

  1. 'Lots of people were queuing, you could feel the excitement’

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Bouncer in a nightclubGetty Images

    England’s nightclubs have been preparing to reopen for the first time in 16 months and at midnight, clubbers were allowed to mingle on the dancefloor once again.

    Laila McKenzie, a club promoter and night time industry specialist tells the BBC about her experience at a club in Bristol overnight.

    “I got there at half eleven. There were lots of people queueing, you could feel the excitement,” she tells Radio 5 Live’s Wake Up to Money programme.

    “Everyone was queuing really respectfully.”

    Some measures had been introduced to reduce the risk of coronavirus being spread among those inside the club, she said.

    “People were asked to provide negative lateral flow tests on the door, or show the Covid passport – it’s quite a lengthy processing time to get people in.

    “Some people bypassed the bar and went straight on to the dance floor, some were choosing to be calm and just have a drink.”

  2. In the headlines today

    Let's start off with some of this morning's stories.

    • There are now no limits on how many people can meet and table service is no longer necessary in pubs and restaurants
    • Nightclubs in England have reopened but there's a warning the industry has been "decimated"
    • Face coverings are recommended in some spaces, but not required by law
    • The PM, chancellor and the health secretary are self-isolating, and there are warnings cases will surge
    • Some fully vaccinated frontline NHS staff in England will be allowed to carry on working if exposed to someone with Covid, the government says, amid concerns over employee shortages
    • Some scientists are predicting that UK infections - currently at about 50,000 a day - could reach 200,000 a day later in the summer.
    • But with more than 68% of UK adults fully vaccinated, modelling suggests hospital admissions, serious illness and deaths from Covid-19 will be at a lower level than in earlier peaks

  3. Welcome along

    Thank you for joining us for live updates as most legal coronavirus restrictions lift in England.

    We will bring you coverage throughout the day and we'll be answering your questions on the rule changes at 13:00 BST.