every part. i am continue to support every part. i am sure will continue to support every pa rt of sure will continue to support every part of the united kingdom. i got covid—i9 on the same day as my right honourable friend the prime minister. yesterday, iwas right honourable friend the prime minister. yesterday, i was given a free test by a company run by military veterans. there is a huge number of us to have had this disease. if we can identify us and make sure we are in those statistics, does my right honourable friend agree we can move faster and more efficiently forward? we have got to get tested. i am delighted to see him looking so well and having a great recovery. he is completely right. at the moment, one of the difficulties the country faces is it looks as though about six or 7% of the population have been exposed to

the population have been exposed to the virus or had the virus. that, of course, raises questions about the risk of a second spite and the disease coming back. testing, testing, testing is the answer. he will be pleased to note that this country is now testing twice as many had of population as any other european country. the former chief scientific adviser has said that tens of thousands of lives could have been saved if the government had acted differently. if we had had the same death rate as south korea, a country whose population and income is not very different to ours, we would have had a few hundred deaths, not the many tens of thousands that we have had. is today's announcement, which is about appeasing right wingers on the backbenches, this government gambling with people's lives?” understand why the honourable

gentleman makes the point that he does. i think he is wrong, and i welcome, by contrast, the more constructive approach we have heard from the labour front bench. optimism, which i think the country needs badly right now. many thousands of our constituents should be heading to somerset this weekend for the glastonbury festival. i was wondering if the prime minister would speak to work with the independent festival over the summer to find a way that this thriving industry exists in 2021. right now, many of the people working in the sector, they fall foul of the schemes that have been put in place and cannot find a way out of the situation that they are in? having performed briefly at glastonbury myself many years ago, i am a keen

admirer of that wonderful festival and, indeed, the whole sector that my right honourable friend identifies. as i have said several times in this statement, we are doing what we can to support that very valuable sector. can i welcome the prime minister's statement, particularly on the support for hospitality, which has been an issue of concern raised by small businesses in my constituency. i wa nt to businesses in my constituency. i want to ask him about schools because he will know that even with one metre social distancing, some small victorian school buildings in my constituency, often with limited outdoor space, will find it difficult to educate all children returning in phases? how will it work with those schools to ensure that in these circumstances, all children can get the education they deserve and need ? children can get the education they deserve and need? i am grateful to the honourable gentleman. what we will do between now and the 1st of september when all schools and all peoples and colleges will go back is

work with the sector to ensure that we have a clear understanding of how to ensure we have minimal risk of transmission to the virus. by then, of course, as we understand, our objective is to have got the incidents down so far that we are able to go forward in a much more normalised way. as for what we can do in the next few weeks, i am glad he supports schools returning. those classes that can go back now, should go back. this statement will be widely welcomed in scarborough, which i hope will very soon be firing on all cylinders. one sector which has been disproportionately affected is angling vessels. but the

prime minister assure me that they will have covid—19 secure guidelines and operate with social distancing but that these guidelines will be consistently applied across the country? we will make sure that very valuable sector of cruises and charters is helped very much to become covid—19 compliant as much as possible. thank you, mr speaker. the prime minister has spoken with great pride about the 2.6 million self—employed people supported by the government through covid—19. 3 million self—employed entrepreneurs, taxpayers, owners of small companies including many of my constituency of angus excluded from government help with no income now for six months. can the prime minister offer an urgent financial lifeline to these blameless victims and their families? mr speaker, we have done a

huge amount to support employees, the self—employed, across the country with loans, grants, thejob retention scheme. i am conscious that he makes a fair point in that there are some people who have not perhaps got the support that they felt they needed, because of the difficulties in identifying what is appropriate and technical difficulties of all kinds. what i can tell him, the single best solution is to get our economy moving cautiously, safely forward, and that is what this package today is intended to do. thank you, mr speaker. the statement from the prime minister today will be warmly welcomed right across the uk, particularly, obviously, in london. however, during this lockdown, many of my constituents have followed the advice to work from home where they

can to avoid unnecessary travelling. can my right honourable friend concern that the advice still is to those constituents to work from home if they can to cut out unnecessary travel, so that those that have to travel, so that those that have to travel to work can do so in the safest possible manner? of course thatis safest possible manner? of course that is right, mr speaker, and you should avoid public transport if you can. in determining whether you need to go to work, it is important for employers to discuss this with their employees as we go forward, but you should work from home if that is possible. thank you, mr speaker, and cani possible. thank you, mr speaker, and can i welcome, and behalf of my constituents in telford this fantastic statement. will the prime minister devote his wonderful energy, enthusiasm and optimism into

ensuring we now have a bold, confident recovery plan so that we can rebuild our economy, safeguard jobs, opportunities and livelihoods in telford and across the country?” am grateful to my honourable friend to her description of the plan that we are about to be unveiling. in the next few weeks, she will be hearing a lot more about how the uk intends to not just bounce a lot more about how the uk intends to notjust bounce back but bounced forward. in order to allow the safe exit of vulnerable members participating, imf suspending the house for three minutes. so we will pull away from the house of commons where the prime minister announcing a series of measures which mark the easing of much of the lockdown in england at least from the 4th lockdown in england at least from the 11th ofjuly, the two meet a distancing rule will be changed. and at the prime minister saying —— two

metres distancing role. on the premise of saying where people cannot stay two metres apart, they should stay one metre plus. this is to reduce the risk of transmission. let's talk to our political correspondent chris mason. today will be the last news conference held on a daily basis chaired by the prime minister earlier on. the government says it will have them when it has significant things to say, but they will not be rolling on a daily basis. you will remember that until a couple of weeks ago, they happened seven days a week every day and then the weekend one were ditched. now the weekend one were ditched. now the daily five o'clock ritual of the prime minister or the health secretary or whoever they can rustle up secretary or whoever they can rustle up turning up at the podium with or without some scientist in tow. yes, the last one on the daily cycle of these news conferences happening at ipm tonight. let'sjust look at these news conferences happening at ipm tonight. let's just look at what has been announced and we should

stress at all times that this is just the moment —— at the moment england. the two metre roll down to one metre is perhaps the most controversial part as lots of sign to say this is far too early. there are those that fear it is too early. equally, there have been plenty amongst conservative mps —— lots of scientists who say this is far too early. and conservative mps who say that we are going to be needing to open on in a viable way, lots of those businesses if you think of hair salons, bars, restaurants, those businesses if you think of hairsalons, bars, restaurants, cafe is, a lot in the hospitality sector we re is, a lot in the hospitality sector were saying, even if you let is open, if there is a two metre restriction, look at our premises, we will barely be able to allow anyone through the door, so their argument has been for one metre and the government has acknowledged that thatis the government has acknowledged that that is viable with mitigations. so the idea is that it is one metre plus mitigation so seeing a lot more of those plastic screens that you might have seen in shops if you have been venturing out in the last couple of weeks. advisory for people

to have or perhaps wear face coverings are face masks when there indoors. what is also striking in what we have learned this afternoon from the government is that as of july the 11th in england, all of this as guidance, rather than compulsory. the hope from the government is that we have all become a relatively savvy around the risks of the virus and how to minimise those risks so they will no longer be enforced in a legal way as they have been up until 110w. legal way as they have been up until now. yes, a lot of people will be asking, how does this work in practice? particularly when it comes to pubs. i do not know if you have seen the cartoon in the daily telegraph, which has a landlord... it so much depends on how people behave. the behavioural scientists have been caught out in the past, as far as this is concerned. in terms of how they have modelled our behaviour in advance of seeing how we actually have. roll all bb back

to the closure of schools, except for those who are the children of key workers are vulnerable children, the expert from the —— the expectation value mothers was meaning that would be one in five children going to school, but it was actually 2% at the height of the lockdown. inevitably, this modelling is imperfect. it was striking listen to the tenor and tone of the prime minister and e—briefing colour was on with the prior minister's official spokesman for that, they are repeating over and over again the necessity, as they will become more subtle and nuanced, that we absolutely stick to them. of course, that means that their arbitrary elements in there where you might say, well, why can i do ex, but not too why? the argument back from the government is this has to be done su btly government is this has to be done subtly and slowly —— why can i do x, but y. in effectively then you would be back to complete normality, but if you're to complete and ultimately

the still out there, even at a much reduced level, there is the possibility of a second peak and ending up where we started. and the prime minister said if that happened, they would not hesitate in putting the brakes on. the difficulty with that is, once the genie is out of the bottle, that are the bottle, that is about very tough isn't it? it is a really tough act to ask politically and practically. politically, plenty would leap on the government and suggest they did not know when they were doing and are listening should not have happened in the first place and it is asking us to reverse our behaviour. one thing to say, you have to stop doing all of the stuff because this virus is an imminent threat and if we do not do it, we will be in grave, grave trouble. quite another to snatch away those new found liberties that had just been handed to us. particularly at a time when lots of those sectors that have been allowed to be open —— will be allowed to reopen it from a week on saturday in england associated with the summer season, the tourism

season just as they reach the peak time in the summer holidays. that is why you get the caddy at any caution on the line which from the prime minister, whilst acknowledging, i think this is the case, that what will happen week on saturday is leasing as big a leap back towards normality that we have had since all of this began. yes, chris mason. you can geta of this began. yes, chris mason. you can get a haircut. yes! i cannot wait, not a minute too soon! glad you did that. thank you very much, see later. there are some images that just do not see later. there are some images thatjust do not go away and that will just be thatjust do not go away and that willjust be one of them. our health correspondent is here, nick triggle. the difference we talked about week after week —— health differences. this is a huge step that has been taken. it was expected after all this and many countries do not require a two metre social distancing— like germany, france, italy, australia all have something

from one to 1.5 metres. the world health organization itself does not recommend or suggest a need for two metres. it is interesting, the prime minister talked about one metre plus. he said that where mid two metres is not possible, less than two metres is fine, but there needs to be steps taken to mitigate the risk. in shops, that may be screens put up, we may see some screens in pubs separating tables. in offices, people will not be sitting face—to—face. and we will still be asked to keep that to metre where possible. the prime minister said if you introduce these measures to mitigate the rest —— that two metres. we might not actually have more risk at one metre then we do at two metres because the sign so far has suggested that the risk at one metre may be ten times greater —— the science. that it is at to panic metres, but there is a lot of debate about that which is why it has

proved to be quite a controversial and often debated topic —— and that it is at two metres. this is a fine politicaljudgment. the it is at two metres. this is a fine political judgment. the numbers it is at two metres. this is a fine politicaljudgment. the numbers we are seeing in the uk are higher than other nations, 1000 new cases a day on average. in germany and france it is half that rate. in italy, we are ata is half that rate. in italy, we are at a quarter of those numbers. so we are seeing a higher number of infections than other countries that have followed suit. also to households of any size can gather in any setting from the 11th ofjuly. that again is a major change —— two households. at the moment, households. at the moment, households can meet up outside, groups of six can have a barbecue at a picnic in a back garden. to actually be meeting up inside is a big step. we are obviously seeing pubs, bars and restaurants opening and the holiday season can start from earlyjuly, and the holiday season can start from early july, hotels, and the holiday season can start from earlyjuly, hotels, holiday apartments, camp sites and caravan parks are being given permission to

open. but again, they are being asked to take measures, including ensuring shared facilities are cleaned properly and social distancing is made possible. 0k, nick, thank you very much for he will be back and sing and nick will be back with us — answering your questions on the easing of restrictions in england. he will be alongside professor calum semple — a member of the government's advisoy committee. send us your question by emailing yourquestions@bbc.co.uk or you can use the hashtag @bbcyourquestions — that's at three—thirty this afternoon. today's announcements will be welcomed by the millions of people who work in the hospitality industry in england. so what might it be like visiting pubs, cafes and restaurants when they reopen? our consumer affairs correspondent sarah corker has been finding out.

coming out of hibernation takes a lot of planning. at this pub in leyland, the landlord is working out how much stock he will need. he will reopen next month and the reduction of the two metre rule to one will make a huge difference. we can operate with a one metre rule. if you look around the venue now, each table is one metre away. if you're in your bubble, you're already with people you've been bubbling with, so your bubble is on a table and that's a metre away from any other table. the uk beer and pub industry is worth £23 billion. lee says his small chain of four pubs in lancashire is in some ways ahead of the curve. instead of going to the bar, customers are being encouraged to use apps to order drinks. all you need is a phone, you tell it which table you are at, what you want and then you pay for it. and the order is then passed to the team.

the government is likely to encourage more pubs to operate in this way. it not only avoids queues inside, it's helping businesses to trade safely. and one thing is for sure, technology is likely to play a big role in kick—starting the hospitality sector. the prime minister. and at westminster today, the confirmation today, the confirmation that the 3 million people working in hospitality have been waiting for. i can tell the house we will also reopen restaurants and pubs. hallelujah! all hospitality indoors will be limited to table service and our guidance will encourage minimal staff and customer contact. so the uk holiday season will start in less than a fortnight. at this glamping and caravanning

park in shropshire, they are hoping for a staycation boom. we are desperate to open, so we will open with whatever we can. ultimately, it comes down to the level of income we can bring into the business and that has a direct implication on the number of people we can bring back from furlough. this restaurant chain owner in liverpool says enforcing the rules is vital. if we get a second spike, it will be the end for many restaurants. it is that serious. and at the end of the job that i protect so fiercely. it is so important that we shepherd the way that people are behaving because they forget. if we do it in a gentle and courteous way, what we do is, we secure our very lifeline. in a world where crowds are the new enemy, some question whether the restrictions will take the fun out of going to the pub or a restaurant or if the pull of the pint will win over.

kate nicholls is the chief executive for uk hospitality, which is a hospitality trade association and represents the voice of many businesses in the sector. shejoins me now. i know you are involved in this whole process, i am guessing this is a huge relief. it will not be like going to the pub restau ra nt like will not be like going to the pub restaurant like before. no, you're right. it is a huge relief for many in the sector and made some of the crippling anxiety and uncertainty that we have had in our business is going through the last three to four months and it means that we can give vital reassurance to our teams who are struggling to come back to work and for us to be able to bring them off furlough. it will not be the same that it was, but it will be a new normal and we need to fill abe through that. it will be temporary and we hope that we can, by working together and having responsible socialisation, we can make sure that we can through this and relax those restrictions further as we get

towards the end of the year. but there is no nipping out to the pub early best run, you have to ring up and makea early best run, you have to ring up and make a booking, give your name? ido and make a booking, give your name? i do not believe that is the intention behind the government's statement today. there is likely to be less informality, that is likely to be less spontaneity, but what the government said was that they would like to work with the industry to understand how we can help them ca ptu re understand how we can help them capture the data of people who are coming out and using our venues, using ourfacilities. we already coming out and using our venues, using our facilities. we already do that quite extensively in hotels and restau ra nts that quite extensively in hotels and restaurants where we take bookings andi restaurants where we take bookings and i think it is about working with the government to make sure we can do that in a pragmatic and proportionate way. i believe that there as we had slight problems with your line. it sounds like some are trying to get hold of the as well. i will talk to another time. i will take you to scotland where john swinney is making a statement in any parliament. it is about

schooling in scotland. thankfully, the picture looks more positive. since may, because of the efforts of oui’ since may, because of the efforts of our fellow citizens to stay home, we have seen scotland make significant progress. there are now only 2000 infectious people in scotland, a reduction of around 90% since may. there has been a sustained downward trend in covid deaths. intensive ca re trend in covid deaths. intensive care cases stand at a fraction of what they were. if we stay on this trajectory, which cannot be taken for granted, by august the position will be even better. that is good news. that means we are now able to update our planning assumptions. if we stay on track, if we all continue to do what is right, and if we can further suppress this terrible virus the government believes that we should prepare for children to be able to return to school full—time in august.

i must stress this is the aim that the government is now working towards. however, because it has to be achieved safely, it inevitably remains conditional and are dependent upon ongoing scientific and health advice. presiding officer, this will be part of a wider approach. if we can continue to make progress at the rate we envisage, by august it is possible that, of course now i no means certain, that we will have successfully achieved or be on the way to phase four of the scottish government route map. i have to be honest with parliament and admit that when we prepared our plans back in may, i frankly could not have imagined that we would have made as much progress in virus oppression as we have. presiding officer, it is this more positive outlook that allows the scottish government to make this change a planning assumption for schools. but it is a change born out of the hard work and

sacrifice of people in every part of the country. sticking to the guidance, staying at home, and are suppressing the spiders. in particular, we should highlight —— this virus. we should highlight the pa rents this virus. we should highlight the parents who have supported their children while holding down a job in killing commitments. it is a change born of the actions of our citizens —— theirjob and caring commitments. i want to commend the work of local authorities and school and early learning and child care staff. and particularly head teachers across scotland. for the way in which they have responded to this emergency. they have worked tirelessly to protect the interests of our children and young people through oui’ children and young people through our childcare hubs and ensuring ongoing provision of a free school meals, delivering remote learning, and planning for the next term. i know they will continue to rise to the challenge as we get ready for

the challenge as we get ready for the next school year. presiding officer, that is the good news. but i must emphasise the importance of scotla nd i must emphasise the importance of scotland staying on track if we are to make it a reality. we must be clear that blended learning is a contingency that we may still need to enact. while the outlook is more positive now, there are no certainties with the spiders. if there is an increase in infection rates —— with this virus. then this contingency plan could still be required if there is an increase in infection rates. equally, we still need to protect those in our society who may not be able to attend school for health reasons. all of the work that has gone into pretended —— preparing blended learning models across the country has been essential preparation and it's vital that we have these models ready if we need them. because we may need to turn to them. we must continue to ensure the safety of pupils,

teachers and staff by engaging in such contingency planning and that is why her majesty's inspectors of education will continue with their scrutiny of the plans when at the latest versions are submitted by local authorities on wednesday. similarly, we can only move away from blended learning if we stay on track and command the confidence of pa rents, track and command the confidence of parents, teachers and children on safety. there are important benefits of doing so. a return to full—time schooling wilted and cool —— enhance the lifetime chances of our pupils, and reverse the damaging impact of recent months —— start universe. we know from a lockdown low low—down, that young people are concerned about school closures and their mental well—being. if we are in any position to ease measures in early learning and child care, particularly in smog at brecon, more children and families will be able to benefit from an expanded offer in the year ahead. to benefit from an expanded offer in

the yearahead. in to benefit from an expanded offer in the year ahead. in parallel, we continue to work with local authorities to agree a new timetable for the delivery of the 11110 hours entitlement to all eligible children. we are already seeing other countries begin to relax their physical distancing restrictions in schools for younger children in particular. and others are starting to plan for a more normal return after the summer break. the first minister confirmed on the 15th of june that we will now review the scientific assumptions underpinning education recovery as part of our statue three weekly review process. this will include, for example, reviewing our approach to physical distancing in schools, and equivalent members in early learning and child care —— equivalent members. as part of that review process , members. as part of that review process, i have established a new subgroup of the covid—19 advisory gi’oup subgroup of the covid—19 advisory group to specialise in education and children's isher‘s. we will get the first review of that material earlier this week —— later this week. children's issues. in order

for us to realise our ambition to resume full—time schooling. i would expect that various conditions we need to be in place. first, infection rates must be at a level thatis infection rates must be at a level that is sufficiently low to provide a shouldn is that we can continue to control dividers. —— provide assurance. we must make sure that we make use of our full public health and structure, locally and nationally to get an early warning of issues and rapid local action, including test and protect. third, there must be the right protective measures and risk assessments in place in schools to keep everyone with higher risk factors, including teachers and staff, safe at all times. in addition to these, the covid—19 advisory group and at the new subgroup have been asked for further advice on any tests or indicators which would show we are on track. in all of this, i will work closely with the education

recovery group, given the change in central planning resumption to work towards a full—time return of schools in august, we will continue to work together over the summer. local authorities will then communicate the arrangements for the return to school with families in due course. presiding officer, we will need all possible education resources at our disposal over the next year to compensate for the loss of learning pupils have faced, should we need to switch to blended model at any stage. even with a return to full—time education, it is imperative that we increase levels of digital inclusion, which is why we have already committed to a huge digital burst through the investment of £30 million to provide laptops for disadvantaged children and young people. this will include £25 million of funding to enable a roll—out of digital devices to school pupils to enable them to study online. initial estimates are that this funding will be required to provide

digital devices to around 70,000 pupils, with up to 40,000 connectivity solutions also needed, although these figures are the subject of ongoing work. i can also announce that we will be providing a further £100 million over the next two years to help support the return to school and help children recover any to school and help children recover a ny lost to school and help children recover any lost ground. this new funding will see us invest to tackle the impact of coronavirus in our schools and ensure that children get the support they need. we will start with teacher recruitment. many of this year's professional teachers have already secured teaching posts with local authorities. we will now work with local authorities, with the objective of ensuring that every teacher who has reached the standard for full registration is able to secure a teaching post for the next school year. and of course, we will still look to encourage retired teachers and those who are not

currently teaching back into the profession wherever this proves necessary. i have asked education scotla nd necessary. i have asked education scotland to expand their offer with the digital learning platform to develop a strong national e—learning provision. this represents an opportunity to enable pupils to access high—quality lessons by qualified teachers trained in offering online learning across as broad a range of subjects and qualification levels as possible. finally, while we want to support the well—being of all our children and young people, we know lockdown has been difficult for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. reducing the poverty attainment gap is a defining mission of this government. we will therefore support the families who need it most. we will also seek the involvement of the youth work sector in assisting us in this challenge. coronavirus has had a massive impact on our education

system. it will take a collective endeavour to overcome that. but we have a duty to our children and young people to come together to do just that. they have played their pa rt just that. they have played their part in protecting this country from the worst of the pandemic, and now we must repay them that faith by serving their needs at this critical time. the cabinet secretary will now take questions. i thank the cabinet secretary for advanced sight of his comments. i agree that none of this has been easy. i recognise that pa rents has been easy. i recognise that parents and teachers have been trying to deliver education throughout a difficult few months. we thank them and we thank young people. the cabinet secretary has finally heard those voices, many thousands of them. why up until today were council still working on

plans to deliverjust one or two days of schooling a week? why did it ta ke days of schooling a week? why did it take such an outburst of anger from pa rents, take such an outburst of anger from parents, and demands for statements from these benches and others to get clarity from this government? the sad truth is that until now, recent events have exposed nothing as a vacuum of leadership in the handling of this issue. today's u—turn, and it is that, has been forced upon the government after relentless campaigning from all quarters, political, academic, charitable and most importantly by parents themselves, to whom we owe the most credit in all this. this is our chance to be clear to parents watching this about what we are saying to them and what we are saying to them and what we are saying to them and what we are saying to councils who will have to deliver this. let me ask a number of things. are you confirming that all pupils will now return to school full time on august the 11th in all

classrooms in all schools? what are the specific health and scientific triggers which will enable you to give the green light for that to happen? can you confirm that to achieve 100% capacity... when you have stopped heckling me... these are questions parents want to know the answers to. can you confirm that to achieve 100% capacity in schools, there will be no physical social distancing to achieve that? presiding officer, how can i ask questions when the snp benches are shouting at me? let's have some order. let's hear mr green deliver his questions, please. thank you. can the cabinet secretary confirm that to achieve the 100% capacity he wa nts, that to achieve the 100% capacity he wants, there will be no physical social distancing in schools to make

that possible? under what circumstances will we revert to the blended model as the planned a, not the contingency plan? but most importantly, words are one thing, actions will be another. will you ensure that councils across scotland will now be given whatever they need to get all our children back into school full time, no ifs, no buts? cabinet secretary. presiding officer, i frequently appear in front of parliament either personally or remotely in the domestic circumstances i have is to a nswer domestic circumstances i have is to answer the questions of members. so the idea that this somehow a surprise appearance by me in parliament is a fallacy. applause.

i was here in person on the 18th of june to answer portfolio questions. iam sent june to answer portfolio questions. i am sent topical questions from my son's bedroom on the 16th ofjune. i appeared again from my son because my bedroom on the 12th ofjune. i a nswered my bedroom on the 12th ofjune. i answered portfolio questions on the 28th of may and i made a statement to parliament on the 26th of may, again from my son's bedroom. all these occasions since the publication of the education recovery group report. so the conservatives don't dare suggest that i do not appear in front of this parliament to fulfil my duties. it isa this parliament to fulfil my duties. it is a disgraceful slur by the conservatives to suggest that. there we re conservatives to suggest that. there were a number of questions in mr green's points, which were dealt with by the statement i made. i said our planning assumption is to get all pupils back to school in august. isaid all pupils back to school in august. i said there will have to be

scientific advice taken to enable that to be the case. i said we will revert to blended learning, should the circumstances or a proliferation of the virus require us to do so. i will not endanger pupils or staff under any circumstances. i announced my statement that the government is going to make available £100 million of new money which will support the delivery of our ambitions on education to support children and young people, because they have supported us. that is what this government does and the conservatives can complain all they wa nt conservatives can complain all they want from the sidelines. iain gray. thank you to mr swinney for early

sight of his statement. i once accused the education secretary of the mother of ministerial climb downs. he has outdone himself today. this must be the mother and father of ministerial climb downs. all of those occasions he just described when he has spoken to parliament about this plan, it has been clear that blended learning was the only possibility for august. ten days ago mr swinney thought it might last a year. on friday, his co—chair of the education recovery group confirmed that blended learning was the only plan and now, at the last possible moment, we have a new plan. we asked for a route map back to schools. it turns out we have been on a mystery tour. presiding officer, if we can deliver this safely, it is very welcome news. but what a fine mess

this is. there are still more questions than answers. what if any social distancing will be required in the classroom? that question wasn't answered. and on school transport too. what protective measures, ppe, deep cleaning or testing will be required to keep teachers and staff safe? finally, we have the education secretary published today the new evidence on which he bases this new plan? let me address the points that iain gray has made. in relation to the question on physical distancing, a resumption of full time education for young people assumes there is no physical distancing amongst young people. we believe that is possible when we look at the model is being delivered in other countries that have successfully restored education, particularly the

netherlands. there will be required to be stringent measures to ensure that we have the appropriate arrangements for safety, protection and testing, all of which i covered in my statement today, because these are fundamental issues that have to be put in place. the reason why we are able to come to the decisions we have come to today and to commence work we are taking forward to assume full time learning in august is because of the significant change in progress that has been made, and i covered that in my statement, where we did not believe it would be possible to get the levels of coronavirus infection in our society as low as they are today. that is because the public have done their bit to comply with these approaches. we now have an opportunity if we

sustain that commitment, because it is not over yet, and if the public sustain that compliance, we can be ina sustain that compliance, we can be in a position. it is conditional on us having the correct regime in place and the compliance measures being followed by the public. given past performance, i am confident that the public will support us in this and they will work collectively to enable us to return to school full—time in august. to enable us to return to school full-time in august. roscrea. -- ross greer. thank you. a great number of people will be breathing a sigh of relief today but for others, their anxiety has now increased. for school staff and their families. so cani school staff and their families. so can i ask the cabinet secretary if the scottish government will immediately publish the evidence and the advice it has received which has

led them to the conclusion that this isa led them to the conclusion that this is a safe option to pursue? and can i ask, if school staff will be offered regular testing, as professor debbie sridhar advised would be necessary to achieve this level of say full—time return? would be necessary to achieve this level of say full-time return? we have published the scientific advice on which our plans have been based andi on which our plans have been based and i give him the commitment that we will continue to do so. the conclusions the government has arrived at here, and i covered this in my answer to mr gray a moment ago, is because of the significant reduction in the prevalence of coronavirus and the level of infectiousness within our society. but i have to be explicit with parliament. this is a conditional commitment. it is conditional on us being able to sustain that position. it is conditional on the further scientific assessments, tests and challenges that are put in front of

us by the advisory group. and all of the information will continue to be published. so mr greer has my commitment that we will remain open in that respect. mr gray asked me about regular testing of teachers. i support that because i recognise the importance of building confidence in the teaching profession about their own safety, their own circumstances. ido own safety, their own circumstances. i do accept that they are in a different position with a different degree of exposure than most young people in a school setting. so it is important that the issue that mr greer raises is addressed, and that will be part of the detailed work we undertake within the education recovery group. willie rennie. i welcome this decision and so are thousands of parents across the country, but the deputy first minister cannot seriously claim that this was a sudden change in the control of the virus. the trend has been clear for

control of the virus. the trend has been clearfor some time control of the virus. the trend has been clear for some time and he should admit that. but i want the minister to address another problem, and issue i have raised repeatedly and issue i have raised repeatedly and has still not been addressed. that is the issue of childcare right now over the summer. that is the issue of childcare right now over the summer. normally, normal childcare arrangements for pa rents normal childcare arrangements for parents have disappeared. we don't have the arrangements available for childminders or the normal family arrangements, but they are expected to go back to work. what is the deputy first minister going to do for them today? on mr rennie's first point, he is correct that there has been a declining trend, but i would encourage him to look at the sharpness of the decline that has taken place, which has, frankly, surprised us. that is a product of the compliance of members of the

public, and all ministers are grateful to them for what they have contributed. in relation to the commons the first minister will make tomorrow when she appears parliament, she will give further information on the implementation of the route map, which will reflect the route map, which will reflect the same point i am making to mr rennie in my answer. on childcare, there is childcare provision over there is childcare provision over the summer. the hubs will be maintained. childminders are able to operate. what is important is that we also look at what will be the possibilities opened up by the statement the first minister makes tomorrow. mr rennie will understand that i am not in a position to discuss those details today, but he will have the opportunity tomorrow.

studio: let's pull away from the education secretaryjohn studio: let's pull away from the education secretary john swinney, telling msps that getting schools back open as soon as possible is his ambition. he said blended learning isa ambition. he said blended learning is a contingency that is still necessary but he said the picture now looks positive because of the effo rts now looks positive because of the efforts of citizens to stay at home. and he announced increased levels of digital inclusion and the spending of £30 million on laptops for the 70,000 most disadvantaged pupils. but the underlying aim, he said, was to get children to return to school full—time in august. but as we had from conservative education spokesman jamie president trump, some criticism —— from greene. we will pull away from that, but you got the major part of the announcement from the scottish parliament. let's talk about hairdressers now. richard ward is the owner

of a salon in west london. he currently has a waiting list of over 2,500 clients, but with more than a hundred staff on furlough, there's now a big effort to get the company ready for reopening following the prime minister's announcement on the easing england's lockdown. hejoins me now. how is this going to work?m how is this going to work? it is great news this morning that the 2 metre restriction has been eased to one metre. we have 45 styling chairs and to be honest, it doesn't matter whether you have a big salon or a small salon. the fact is that until this was reduced, you could only do half the business, for obvious reasons, at two metres. so now that that has been reduced to one metre, that has been reduced to one metre, thatis that has been reduced to one metre, that is a godsend for us. butjust listening to the prime minister earlier, i was worried that he was going to insist that we not only

we re going to insist that we not only were facemasks, but advisers too. i was talking to a friend of mine who has a salon in new york, who opened before us, and they had to wear visors and that is extremely challenging to ask our team members to wear masks and visors in a hot salon in the summer with no aircon. so thinking ahead, i think we are probably going to still stick to our shift pattern which we have been working out for the last two months. we will open 12 hours a day and we will have half the team coming in from eight until two, and the other half coming in from two till eight. even that is going to be a big ask if you are wearing masks and visors. if you have air conditioning, i would use it. he didn't mention anything about that. , that is a

grey area. we are not sure if we can use it. you have got to have all the windows open. so that is something that needs to be clarified. that is interesting. the experience is going to be different for clients, isn't it? no coffee, no magazines. you won't have someone asking you if you have had a nice holiday, because none of it has had one! is the truth that you are just going to get a trim, you are not going to be changing styles too much, and what about colouring? you would be amazed. that is the thing. i have had so many texts from clients and all these people saying they have grown their hairand all these people saying they have grown their hair and it is longer and they are desperate. the thing is, it won't be just a trim. and the colour is so important. you might have three months of regrowth or a lot of people out of desperation who have been using box colours and it hasn't worked. so our services could

bea hasn't worked. so our services could be a lot longer, but we have decided we just will have to deal with those problems when they come in. you just have to give everybody what they wa nt to have to give everybody what they want to because if we don't, they will go elsewhere. for a lot of people, lockdown hair has not only be nothing, but they actually like it! men, it has been amusing to watch all these home haircuts. i have done a few home tutorials which people have been following and sending me in their haircuts. some of them are better than others. but i think the men have had a lot of fun in lockdown. as i said on the news this morning, i have enjoyed it. my hair has never been so long andi it. my hair has never been so long and i have enjoyed being a bit feral. it has been great!” and i have enjoyed being a bit feral. it has been great! i don't think you could describe yourself as feral! let's look at the finance

behind this. there is a very serious issue in england amongst your colleagues, many of whom will not be able to open. this has destroyed their business. it really has. the rent still has to be paid. yes, thank the lord, we have had a rates holiday, which has been fantastic. and the government bringing in the furlough scheme, that has saved our businesses. before that happened, we had a list of literally half our tea m had a list of literally half our team that we would have had to have made redundant. so yes, we are lucky that everybody will need a haircut and yes, we do have the 2500 people waiting to come in. but in a salon like ours, we do 1000 clients a week. so after two or three weeks, week. so after two or three weeks, we will get through those. but like

all salons, we don'tjust rely on local business. people come from all over. if you like your hairdresser, you might travel 20 miles. many people might not want to do that. we have no tourist industry at all in the summer, which is huge for us and something we rely on. so how businesses in the hospitality sector and hairdressing will look six months down the line, you can only guess. if you are running a business like yours, presumably there is also a lwa ys like yours, presumably there is also always the fear that if someone comes into your salon and a few days later develops the virus, they could say they got it from your place. what about legal responsibility, is that something you have had to cover yourself? absolutely. we have been onto our insurers and making sure we

are onto our insurers and making sure we a re covered onto our insurers and making sure we are covered for that. there is a grey area as well where some people are asking us to do their hair at home. we have to be kept on the insurance for that as well, not just for customers, but for our team members. again, it needs to be more definitive. we need to look at what the government has said tomorrow, when we can really trawl through it. we might need to take the contact details of everybody coming into the salon because if there is an outbreak, then they can contact eve ryo ne outbreak, then they can contact everyone who has been in the salon at that time. i know that happened ina at that time. i know that happened in a nightclub in korea. apparently, 100 people in one night contracted covid, and the reason why they could keep on top of it was because they had the names, addresses and phone numbers of everybody who was in that nightclub. this is a logistical

nightmare. we and the restaurants and pubs and bars and nightclubs, we are there to do what we do. the way business is going to look, at least as far as business is going to look, at least as farasi business is going to look, at least as far as i can see for the next six months to a year, is very different from before lockdown. let's talk about that other grey area. what advice are you going to people who have discovered that perhaps the lovely brunette was not as natural as they would want people to believe? you will laugh at this. i have had quite a few e—mails just after lockdown saying, what box colour can i use? please tell me on the quiet because my husband or my partner doesn't know it is natural. good to talk to you, richard. i wish you all the luck in the world. welcome back. that was richard ward.

let's have a look at the weather. this week, our weather store is all about building more and just how high our temperatures can get before things go bang and we see thunderstorms breaking out. for some of us, it's going to be the low 30s. we are pulling warm air in all the way in from spain is the high pressure builds its way north across the uk. the peak of the temperatures is anticipated to be on thursday before we finally start to see a more atlantic shift to our weather, low pressure area starting to arrive. from friday to saturday, it all goes bang and we release cooler air across the uk. but for the remainder of the day, plenty of warm air sitting across england and wales. a warm evening. seven cloud across northern ireland and some outbreaks of rain on and off. it is

starting to feel increasingly humid around london. here is our weatherfront on wednesday, still bothering scotland and northern ireland. if anything on wednesday, we will probably see a little less rain than today, but still some stubborn cloud for northern ireland and western scotland. eastern scotla nd and western scotland. eastern scotland becoming drier and brighter, the heat working its way further north across the uk all the while. cooler across western scotla nd while. cooler across western scotland and northern ireland, and then building all the while, that high putting north across the uk, taking the heat and humidity with it. some signs of thunderstorms across northern scotland. but it is thursday that we see the heat become most widespread across the uk. then

we get to friday, with that area of low pressure coming in. it starts to destabilise things, so there will still be a lot of warmth and humidity, but it will get lively as there thunderstorms become widespread and eventually the cooler air arrives. for the weekend, there will still be dry spells around, but there will be occasional showers. and it will then feel fresher.

this is bbc news, i'm simon mccoy. the headlines. a major easing of restrictions in england. the prime minister says pubs, restaurants and cafes will be allowed to reopen — with restrictions — from the 4th ofjuly we can now go further and safely easily lockdown in england. at every stage, caution will remain our watchword. we will, of course scrutinise the details of this announcement. we will study the guidance and there are obviously a number of questions that need to be answered. but overall, i welcome the statement. but not everyone agrees — a former chief scientific adviser is among those warning that it's "far too premature" to reduce the 2 metre rule. pupils in scotland will be able

to return to schools full—time from the 11th of august as long as the virus continues to be suppressed. a u—turn for thousands in germany — as one district is forced to go back into lockdown after a spike in cases linked to a meat factory. as tributes are paid to the victims of the reading stabbing attack — the suspect‘s brother sends his condolences. world number one novak djokovic says he's tested positive for covid—19, after facing a volley of criticism for organising tour events in serbia and croatia. good afternoon. exactly three months after the lockdown was first

introduced, the prime minister has announced a major easing of restrictions in england. speaking this lunchtime in the house of commons, boris johnson announced that the two—metre social distancing rule is being cut to one metre from 4thjuly — meaning pubs, restaurants and cafes will be allowed to reopen. cinemas, museums and galleries will also be able to welcome visitors again. the new easing of restrictions will also allow two households of any size to meet inside or out. but sir david king — the uk's former chief scientific adviser — warned this morning that it's "far too premature" to reduce the two—metre rule. our political correspondent jonathan blake reports. are you taking a gamble with public safety, prime minister? a big decision, a big day. is it safe to go to the pub the? three months and strict measures were imposed to limit the spread of coronavirus, the prime minister prepared to announce the most significant changes yet for businesses, for the economy, for daily life in england. borisjohnson told mps that due to a significant

fall in the prevalence of the virus, it was now safe to relax the two—metre rule. where it is possible to keep two metres apart, people should. but when it is not, we will advise people to keep a social distance of one metre class, meaning they should remain one metre apart while taking mitigations to reduce the risk of a transmission. and we are today publishing guidance on how business can reduce the risk by taking certain steps to protect workers and customers. and from the 4th ofjuly, meetings of any two households will be allowed. two households of any size should be able to meet in any setting, inside or out. that does not mean they must always be the same two households. it will be possible, for instance, to meet one set of grandparents one

weekend, the others the following weekend. but we are not recommending meetings of multiple households indoors because of the risk of creating greater chains of transmission. the prime minister said the more things were opened up, the more vigilant people needed to be. labour offered a cautious welcome. we will, of course, scrutinise the details of the announcement and study the guidelines. there are obviously a number of questions are to be answered, but overall, i welcome this statement. i believe the government is trying to do the right thing. and in that we will support them. cinemas, hair salons and pubs will be able to reopen in england on the 4th ofjuly, providing safety measures are in place. the current two—metre social distancing requirement has

been reduced to one metre, allowing venues to reopen. there are currently no plans for similar changes in scotland and wales. in northern ireland, the distance has already been cut for schoolchildren. cheers! well it is welcome news, it will not be things back to normal. many of the distancing measures that shops have had to take will be required and pubs, bars and restaurants. numbers will be limited in galleries and cinemas. this loosening of the lockdown offers the government a chance to gain control when at times it has struggled to keep a grip on its responsive coronavirus. but there is a calculated risk with every decision that ministers make. jonathan blake, news, westminster. let's go over to our political

correspondent chris mason. this all very much depends on how we, the public behave. yes, that is absolutely crucial, simon. the importance of public behaviour, we know from earlier in the crisis that the modelling of expected human behaviour, our behaviour was central to the measures that were taken, for insta nce to the measures that were taken, for instance around school closures and behavioural scientists were surprised that so few children went to school, around 2%, when the expectation was that it was about 20%. the prime minister emphasised the section on just how important it is that people stick to the rules as of now in england, they remain unchanged until the week of saturday july the 1st, and then stick to the rails beyond that. and they explained the apparently arbitrary lines that are drawn between what will be allowed and what will not by saying, look, if you do not bother with those arbitrary lines, you effectively are back to normal and it would not be safe to operate entirely normally. given that the baddies are still out there, albeit afar baddies are still out there, albeit a far lower prevalence than it was.

we are heading towards a near—normal position, i think, we are heading towards a near—normal position, ithink, ratherthan we are heading towards a near—normal position, ithink, rather than back to normal entirely and i think the change that will come in england, a week on saturday, will be the sink as big a leap back to normality with the prospect, for instance, being able to go back to the pub, go on holiday, stay in a hotel, get your hair cut second act is coming soon. yes, i saw that. and enforcing this will be a problem for people, will it not? from the very start of this whole process, there has been legal underpinning to the whole business of the rules that have been governing our lives. whilst, for most of us, that did not involve encountering a police officer demanding where you're going and what was in your shopping bag or whatever, there was always that prospect and, for some, people ended up prospect and, for some, people ended up getting fined for breaking the social distancing and lockdown

restrictions. crucially, as ofjuly the 4th, it is switching to being guidelines —— guidance, where we are being guided to be of any particular way, rather than it's been underpinned by legislation. there will be some laws coming down any track later this week to cover the snake stage, including, crucially, pa rt snake stage, including, crucially, part of the bill that will come before the house for the next few days, giving far greater scope for cafe and pubs to serve people outside, given that it seemed to be far safer than doing so inside. at the heart of all of it, there is a an expectation that people behave in an expectation that people behave in a responsible way, rather than the threat of the low hanging over us if we fail to do so. but with the caveat, repeated again and again by the prime minister, and any prime minister's official spokesman, that if there is a spike in cases as a result of this loosening, the government will not hesitate on slamming the brakes on and are returning to either where we are now, or even further back, either at a local level or, if necessary, on an england a wider level to contain

any future outbreaks. just looking at my twitter account and some happiness, but on the whole —— unhappiness, but on the whole most people welcoming the news. and this will be the last day of the daily news co nfe re nces . will be the last day of the daily news conferences. some of our lives have been covered by them. they were happening for seven days a week for some time, 5pm during the weekend for pm at the weekend, they were bend at the weekend recently. tonight will be the last of the daily affairs, the prime minister chatting tonight's news conference and from tonight they will not happen everyday, just when the government has something significant to say. they were still promising —— they're so promising that they will publish what is in the slides. the next slide plays a moment that we get at five past five every afternoon. that also happen so we will still have that dated. not the daily opportunity to scrutinise the working of government as we have had up working of government as we have had up until now. he is hoping that we will see more of the prime minister and ministers out and about and in a slightly more conventional way where we as reporters will be able to

trundle after them and hopefully ask them questions. that forum not without its problems in terms of scrutinising the government, but nonetheless did provides a daily opportunity to at least ask a handful of questions. yes. you really did say trimdependence day, didn't you quest a mac yes, i thought that was the sort of when you would appreciate. but hey, i learned mail i guess we'll live and learn. will you be getting a cut? i will maybe just tie orange. thank you very much. and in half an hour, we'll answer any questions you have on the easing of restrictions in england. i'll be joined by our health correspondent nick triggle and professor calum semple — a member of the government's advisoy committee.

send us your question by emailing yourquestions@bbc.co. uk or you can use the hashtag @bbcyourquestions — that's at three—thirty this afternoon. today's announcements will be welcomed by the millions of people who work in the hospitality industry in england. so what will pubs, cafes and restaurants feel like when they reopen? our consumer affairs correspondent sarah corker has been finding out. coming out of hibernation takes a lot of planning. at the withy arms in leyland, landlord lee is working out how much stock he'll need. he will reopen next month and the reduction of the two—metre rule to one will make a huge difference. near enough every table is a metre away and if you're in your bubble then you're already with people that you've been bubbling with, so your bubble is on a table that's a metre away from any other table. the uk beer and pub industry is worth £23 billion. lee says his small chain of four pubs in lancashire is, in some ways, ahead of the curve.

instead of going to the bar, customers are being encouraged to use apps to order their drinks. all you need is a phone, you tell it which table you're at, what you want and then you pay for it. and the order is then passed to the team. the government is likely to encourage more pubs to operate in this way. it not only avoids queues inside, it's also helping businesses to trade safely. thank you. and one thing is for sure, technology is likely to play a big role in kick—starting the hospitality sector. the prime minister. and at westminster today, the confirmation that the 3 million people working in hospitality have been waiting for. mr speaker, i can tell the house that we will also reopen restaurants and pubs. hallelujah! all hospitality indoors will be

limited to table service and our guidance will encourage minimal staff and customer contact. so the uk holiday season will start in less than a fortnight. at this glamping and caravanning park in shropshire, they're hoping for a staycation boom. we're desperate to open, so we will open with whatever we can. i think, ultimately, it comes down to the level of income we can bring into the business and that's got a direct reflection on the amount of people we bring back off furlough. the challenge going forward is enforcing the new rules, something this restaurant chain owner in liverpool says is vital. if we get a second spike, it will be the end of the majority of restaurants. it is that serious, and the end of those jobs that i protect so fiercely. it's so important that we do actually shepherd the way people are behaving because they do forget themselves and if we do it

in a gentle,courteous way, what we do this we secure our very lifeline. in a world where crowds are the new enemy, some question whether the restrictions will take the fun out of going to the pub or a restaurant or if the pull of the pint will win over. sarah corker, bbc news, in leyland. let's get some further reaction from businesses to today's announcement of lockdown easing in england. ben thompson sent this from epping. we're on the high street here in epping where business is able to get some sense now of what happens next — that announcement from the prime minister about the next steps of easing the lockdown. now, nonessential retailers, they were able to reopen last week, but for the bars and restaurants and pubs right around the country, they've had no clear indication about what happens next, but now the date — the 4th ofjuly — they can reopen. i was speaking to the landlord down at the pub here and he told me he can now get enough people

through the doors to make it worthwhile reopening. he's still got to pay the staff to come in and man the bar and the kitchen and he thinks with that reduction from two metres to one metre for social distancing, he can get about 70% of his usual customers through the doors. also good news if you want a haircut — those hairdressers can reopen from the 4th ofjuly. but a different picture if you're a nail or beauty salon. they've been separated. they've been separated off. they are not able to reopen and i spoke to the owner of one salon here and she questioned why there's a difference. she said people work in the same proximity whether they are doing your nails or cutting your hair, so why‘s it different? why can they not reopen? it's really frustrating that we don't come into the same category as hairdressing salons, as in we have got screens in place so we are working behind screens, whereas in hairdressers they are not working behind a screen, so it just seems crazy that we have no guidelines of when we can open and what is going

to be happening. and so, disappointment forfirms like tara's. she had a full order book of customers expecting to come on in the 4th ofjuly. she's now had to ring them and cancel appointments without giving any clear indication of when they they can come back. so some good news for the hospitality industry, though, the 3 million or so people employed in the uk can get back to work, but as we know, with those distancing measures still in place, it will be business, but it will be far from normal. ben thompson there. the headlines on bbc news: a major easing of lockdown in england means pubs, restaurants and hairdressers will be allowed to reopen — with restrictions — from the 4th ofjuly. but a former chief scientific adviser is among those warning that it's "far too premature" to reduce the 2 metre rule. pupils in scotland will be able to return to schools full—time from the 11th of august as long as the virus continues

to be suppressed. the scottish education secretary has announced that pupils in scotland will be able to return to schools full time if coronavirus continues to be surpressed. speaking in the scottish parliament, john swinney said all schools would be able to reopen from august providing the virus remained under control. now, thankfully, the picture looks more positive. since may, because of the efforts of our fellow citizens to stay at home, we have seen scotla nd to stay at home, we have seen scotland to make significant progress. there are now only 2000 infectious people in scotland, a reduction of around 90% since may. there has been a sustained downward trend in covid—19 deaths. intensive ca re trend in covid—19 deaths. intensive care cases trend in covid—19 deaths. intensive ca re cases now trend in covid—19 deaths. intensive care cases now stand at a fraction of what they were. if we stay on this trajectory, which cannot be taken for granted, by august, the

position will be even better. that is good news. that means we are now able to update our planning assumptions. if we stay on track, if we all continue to do what is right, and if we can further suppress this terrible virus, the government believes that we should prepare for children to be able to return to school full—time in august. i must stress this is the aim that the government is now working towards it, however, because it has to be achieved safely, it inevitably remains conditional and depended upon ongoing scientific and health advice. that was john swinney. but jamie greene from the scottish conservatives accused the government of lacking leadership. (sot) parents have been set by this. why

did it take such an outburst of anger from parents to get clarity from this government? the sad truth, presiding officer, is that recent events have expose nothing but a complete vacuum of leadership in the handling of this issue. the reality is that today's u—turn, and it is that, has been forced upon the government after relentless campaigning from all quarters, political, academic, charitable, and most importantly, by parents themselves to him that we owe the most credit in all of this. let's get more from our scotland correspondent james shaw — apart from being scunnered, a good scottish read, there are claims this isa u—turn? scottish read, there are claims this is a u-turn? he said it right there. he said there was no other way to describe it and iain gray from labour said it was the mother and father of all ministerial climb downs. that is certainly the opposition view in scotland. why has it happened? why has there been this

change of heart and change of plans from the scottish government? from last week when john swinney was talking about a blended form of education, so some in schools and some at home. i think the reason is because there has been a great deal of pressure from the opposition parties and that is driven from underneath by what parents have been saying. there is urgent need, they feel, to get their children back into full—time education and for normal life to the re—established once the children are back in school. and i think the scottish government have felt that they have had to respond to that and so now john swinney has stated, really unequivocally, that they plan a is that all children should be back ins full—time education on the 11th of august. yes. that is the plan. what are the obstacles? the obstacles are making sure that they continue to suppress the virus and that means having effective testing, isolate —— test and isolate to deal with

outbreaks that continue and also john swinney said today, having proper protection in the schools, so we assume that will mean things like masks and other risk assessments carried out, but one thing is interesting, earlier on today nicola sturgeon said that the two metre rule would remain in place in scotla nd rule would remain in place in scotland at a lease by the time being. what you have to figure out is whether these are two things are compatible and if they are not, does that mean that the two metre rule is not going to stay in place for much longer in scotland, if a school going to go back as normal in august? james short, thank you very much. —— shaw. so with social distancing rules being relaxed within days in england — what does the science say about people getting closer — but still staying safe? here's our health correspondent dominic hughes. for weeks now, we've been urged to maintain a distance of two metres. at the height of the pandemic, with the coronavirus circling

with the coronavirus circulating widely, it was argued that keeping two metres away from others reduced the risk of infection. so what happened to alter that advice? the science actually hasn't changed. what's changed is the absolute numbers of cases in the community. so two metres is still going to be safer than one metre but if there is no virus in your community, then the risk is zero. if there is no virus, you can't catch it. it's not that the science has changed, it's just that the balance of risk has changed. staying safe from the virus involves several different factors, most obviously distance. being one metre apart can be up to ten times riskier than being two metres apart, but timing is also important. spending more than 15 minutes close together will increase the chances of infection, as does being face—to—face, which can be as risky two metres

apart as it is being back—to—back with someone at one metre. it is believed some of the risk can be mitigated with measures such as screens at tills and table service and pubs. but there are those who believe this is all happening far too soon. it sounds all right out of doors and you keep that one metre distance apart. but if you're indoors, you're at a much greater risk because you're sitting in proximity to other people, you're not wearing masks if you're in restaurants and pubs. and the level of viral infection in the air could well be quite high. new data showing a fall in the total number of deaths in the week ending 12th june provides encouragement. but numbers are still 5% higher for this time of year. the reason we are in this position

is because the vast majority of people followed the guidelines throughout the period of this virus and that's meant we've seen the spread of this virus fall so much over the past few weeks. so we can start getting to a point where we can start making these decisions. changing the advice on social distancing is not without risk, but balancing that risk of infection against the real cost lockdown has had on our mental and physical and economic health is something we all have to consider. dominic hughes, bbc news. the brother of the suspect in the reading knife attack has sent his condolences to the families of the victims who died. police have been given more time to question khairah saadallah — who was arrested under the terrorism act. three people were killed in the attack on saturday. duncan kennedy reports. james furlong, joe ritchie—bennett and david wails all lost their lives on saturday. friends have described them as true gentlemen. they had been in this park in the centre of reading when the alleged knife attack took place. james antell was one

of those who rushed over to try to save the men's lives, using, he says, his own clothing. i tried my very best to identify where the injuries were on the body of the casualty and took my shirt and used it to try to apply pressure to the wounds. but the casualties were in a very, very bad way. after a little while, attending to one of the casualties, on my own, another member of the public came over to help, and i think around that time i moved to another casualty, and again, you know, did my best to try to identify where the wound was and apply pressure to it. ifeel a little bit shaken. my overriding thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. 25—year—old khairi saadallah, who came to britain from libya in 2012, was arrested under

the terrorism act. in a statement today, his brother aiman saadallah said, "i want to express our condolences to the families of the victims that have died, and wish a speedy recovery for all those injured." under the terrorism act, police can hold the suspect, khairi saadallah, for up to 14 days. they say they are still appealing for witnesses to come forward with any new information. three other people who were injured in the attack on saturday have now been released from hospital. the shock of that attack has given way to expressions of grief. local people have turned pavements and walls into focal points for their messages and sympathies. absolutely devastated. i can't believe this would happen in reading, and i can't believe it has happened to one of my closest friends, and a number of other friends. in a new series of statements, the parents of david wails said he was a kind and much—loved son.

the family ofjoe ritchie—bennett said they were heartbroken, while the parents of james furlong said simply, he was beautiful and fun. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in reading. the authorities in a region of germany are bringing back local lockdown measures after an outbreak linked to a meatpacking plant. our correspondent damien mcguinness sent this from berlin. yeah, while in britain we're seeing restrictions being loosened, in germany, in this particular region of gutersloh, restrictions are being reimposed. it's the first time that a lockdown had been reintroduced in germany. now this is going to affect about one third of a million people in this whole district. schools have already closed down. now we're going to see bars close again, museums, galleries, all sorts of indoor cultural activities and sports activities are going to close again.

residents of the region are being told or being advised not to leave the district, which is a bit of a shame, bad timing because the summer holidays are about to start here. so it's a real shock for people, this reimposition of a lockdown and that's really all about quite a severe outbreak in a meat processing plant in this district where more than 1500 workers have been infected. the idea is to contain this outbreak and to stop a second wave spreading across germany, which so far hasn't happened. 0f of course a lot of reaction from the announcement from the prime minister that life will get back to some sort of normal from the 4th ofjuly. among those reacting on twitter, the chancellor rishi sunak, who said that i cannot wait to get back to the pub, and i do even drink. good news for business today and i am glad we enjoy the summer safely and

the hashtag 4th ofjuly. and rishi sunak has said a toast to that. some positive news hopefully towards the end of what has been a treatment crisis in the country, and of course an economic crisis as well as a health crisis, with the chancellor is perhaps expressing the views of many, relief that things are returning to some sort of normality. we will have your questions answered, all about the changes of lockdown, coming up in a couple of minutes. now it's time for a look at the weather with susan powell. in the next few days, our weather story is all about building heat and humidity, the heat spreading north from spain across the uk. it's set to peak on thursday, when it will be most widespread, getting all the way up into scotland and northern ireland. but for friday, thunderstorms arrive and fresher for the weekend. this evening, some late sunshine across england and wales.

a weatherfront continues to stick across northern ireland and scotland. quite a lot of cloud here. some outbreaks of rain on and off. overnight lows 13, 14 to the north, no lower than 16 in central london. for wednesday, more sunshine as the high pressure starts to further erode this weatherfront, and we will see some heat heading into eastern scotland. always a bit more cloud in the west, and that does cap our temperatures somewhat. by thursday, you can see how the heat expands into scotland and northern ireland. could be some thunderstorms towards the north—west later in the day. certainly expect things to get lively on friday. hello, this is bbc news with simon mccoy. the headlines: a major easing of restrictions in england — the prime minister says pu bs, restau ra nts a nd cafes will be allowed to reopen with restrictions from the 4th ofjuly. we can now go further and safely ease the lockdown in england. at every stage, caution

will remain our watchword. we will scrutinise the details of this announcement. we will study the guidance, and there are obviously a numberof guidance, and there are obviously a number of questions that need to be answered. but overall, i welcome this statement. but not everyone agrees — a former chief scientific adviser is among those warning that it's "far too premature" to reduce the 2 metre rule. pupils in scotland will be able to return to schools full—time from the 11th of august as long as the virus continues to be suppressed. a u—turn for thousands in germany as one district is forced to go back into lockdown after a spike in cases linked to a meat factory. as tributes are paid to the victims of the reading stabbing attack — the suspect‘s brother sends his condolences. sport and for a full round up

from the bbc sport centre, here'sjohn watson. good afternoon. novak djokovic has tested positive for coronavirus following the staging of an exhibition tournament in croatia over the weekend. the world number one was due to play in the final of the croatia leg on sunday, but the match was swiftly cancelled after grigor dimitrov, who had played the day before, announced he'd tested positive for the virus. players were not social distnacing as lockdown restrictions have been lifted there. two other players have also tested positive. all other events have been cancelled. in a statement, djokovic says his wifejelena is also positive, but his children are not. he says he is extremely sorry for each individual case

of infection and hopes it will not complicate anyone's health situation and that everyone will be fine. another seven pakistan cricketers have tested positive for coronavirus. that follows three others already confirmed. pakistan are scheduled to fly to the uk on sunday for three tests and three twenty20 matches this summer. the team say that is still the plan and players who can't fly will follow later when they've achieved two negative tests for the virus.