CORONAVIRUS

Pubs set for June 22 reopening in attempt to ‘save the summer’

Eleni Courea
The Times
Every night Rob Galvin, landlord of the Feather Star in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, straps two barrels of beer to his motorcycle and delivers to his regulars. His pub is small and has no garden, so he does not expect to be able to reopen in the near future
Every night Rob Galvin, landlord of the Feather Star in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, straps two barrels of beer to his motorcycle and delivers to his regulars. His pub is small and has no garden, so he does not expect to be able to reopen in the near future
F STOP PRESS
Eleni Courea
The Times

Ministers have identified June 22 as the date they hope to reopen pubs and restaurants in a plan designed to “save the summer”.

Rishi Sunak is one of half a dozen ministers calling themselves the “save summer six” who want to speed up the reopening of the economy. Last night the Financial Times reported that they were aiming for June 22 to allow pub gardens and the outdoor spaces of restaurants to reopen. Ministers will ease planning restrictions where necessary.

Meanwhile, individual prayer is to be allowed in places of worship from June 15. The government is also planning to relax Sunday trading laws, which limit the hours that large shops can operate on Sundays, for a year to help to stimulate the economy.

Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, said she was not convinced that relaxing Sunday trading laws will “help to get the economy back on track”
Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, said she was not convinced that relaxing Sunday trading laws will “help to get the economy back on track”
LEON NEAL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Yesterday