Boris Johnson news – live: PM announces cinemas and museums to reopen, as Japan gives UK six weeks to strike post-Brexit trade deal

Gyms, spas and casinos to remain closed next month

Now that the Boris Johnson has finished his statement, let’s a closer look at the businesses that are not allowed to reopen on 4 July.

Indoor gyms, spas and casinos are among the list of businesses that will remain closed by law after the PM announced further easing of lockdown measures.

Many elements of the beauty sector will remain shut including spas, nail bars, tattoo parlours, beauty salons and massage parlours.

Businesses which include close proximity between households such as indoor gyms, soft play areas, spas, swimming pools and nightclubs will remain closed.

Bowling alleys, water parks and casinos will also not be allowed to reopen. Indoor sports and dance venues and skating rinks will stay closed – however, outdoor gyms will be allowed to reopen.

Addressing close proximity businesses such as nightclubs, Johnson added that task forces with public health experts will help them reopen “as soon as possible”.

Theatres and concert halls may be allowed to reopen for recorded screenings, provided that they are Covid-secure and do not hold live performances.

Two-metre rule remains in Scotland, says Sturgeon

The two-metre rule will remain in place in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has said, though the Scottish government has asked its scientific advisory group to review the measure.

Speaking at the Scottish government’s daily coronavirus briefing, Sturgeon said her administration has asked in what settings and circumstance it might be possible “to accept the risk of people not keeping to a two-metre distance”.

The advisory group is expected to report to the first minister by July 2. She said: “Until then, the position here in Scotland remains the same. We are advising people to maintain two metres’ physical distancing.

“Any changes announced today for other parts of the UK, while we will look at the evidence underpinning those very carefully, will not apply here at this stage.”

No country has functioning trace and trace app, claims PM

Much of what Boris Johnson had been heavily trailed, so there were no great surprises. But his claim in the Commons that “no country currently has a functioning trace and trace app” has raised a lot of eyebrows.

Germany, Norway, Australia and South Korea have all won praise for rolling out contact-tracing apps with widespread take-up.

Why Boris Johnson is backtracking on his Brexit deal

Despite the signing of the withdrawal agreement in January, the UK and EU still can’t agree about what it actually means.

Brussels said London has signed up to impose a type of customs control on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain called an “exit summary declaration”.

The UK, on the other hand, says its interpretation of the deal means it isn’t doing that. It published a “command paper” explaining what it would do, and this was not included.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has taken a loser look at why the two sides seem further apart than ever.

Pubs should take contact details, says PM

Boris Johnson – still speaking in the Commons – has been asked whether pubs staff should take contact details from customers to make contact-tracing easier if someone tests positive for the coronavirus.

Johnson said businesses would be encouraged to take details.

“I do think that is something that people get and as far as possible we want people to do that and we want businesses to comply with that,” he said. “I believe it is very, very important for our ability to track back and stop outbreaks happening.”

Reaction to 4 July re-openings

Plenty of responses already to the prime minister announcement that pubs, restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, caravan parks, hairdressers, playgrounds, museums, cinemas galleries are among the businesses that can reopen from 4 July.

Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said: “We are extremely pleased that pubs are reopening on July 4 after a long hiatus. We are going to discuss the precise government proposals with our pub managers and staff before we comment further on the details.”

Salon Sloane co-founder Belle Cannan said: “Going from two metres to one metre makes it much more of a viable business because you can accommodate more clients, and of course everyone is desperate to come in, especially in the first week to get their hair done.”

Bectu, the arts and entertainment trade union, said: “News that cinemas and art galleries can reopen again with reduced levels of social distancing in place is welcome.

“However, this does not mean that cultural life will return to normal. There is still a huge amount of work to be done on messaging and ensuring that staff working in these organisations fully understand how things will operate and are protected from Covid-19.”

UK and Japan may have to ‘limit our ambitions’, says negotiator

As we reported earlier, Japan has given Britain just six weeks to sign up to a post-Brexit trade deal or face disruption to its imports and exports.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone says it is the latest sign that the “swashbuckling” drive to sign deals with countries around the world is proving less than straightforward.

UK negotiators also face the prospect of being bounced into a deal on unfavourable terms, as countries like Japan seek to use the reopening of deals to gain further concessions against the UK.

Tokyo’s chief negotiator Hiroshi Matsuura said the UK and Japan would have to “limit our ambitions”, casting doubt on UK ambitions to improve access for sectors like agricultural produce.

More details here:

No more daily coronavirus press conferences

The government will no longer be holding daily Downing Street press conferences – a fixture of the coronavirus pandemic since the beginning of the lockdown.

It comes after prime minister Boris Johnson announced an easing of the lockdown in the House of Commons.

“From today, the press conferences will no longer be daily,” said a government spokesman. “We’ll continue to hold press conferences to coincide with significant announcements, including with the prime minister.

“We will be publishing all of the data which has previously been included in the press conference slides on gov.uk every week day.”

Windrush review recommendations will be implemented ‘in full’, claims Priti Patel

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the government will be implementing the Windrush Lessons Learned Review recommendations in full.

Patel told MPs: “I was clear when Wendy Williams published her Lessons Learned Review that I would listen and I would act. I have heard what she has said and I will be accepting the recommendations she has made in full.”

She added: “I am committed to ensuring that the Home Office delivers for each part of the community it serves and I will come back to update the House on how we will be implementing the recommendations before the summer recess.”

Patel told MPs she looks forward to discussing the plans with Williams this week.

Williams’ review, which was published in March, was critical of the “hostile environment” policy operated by successive governments to tackle illegal immigration.

Williams’ report concluded that the Home Office had shown “ignorance and thoughtlessness” on the issue of race when some people were incorrectly told that they did not have the right to be in Britain.

Priti Patel speaking in the Commons (Parliament TV)

Gyms could be re-opened mid-July, says culture secretary

The culture secretary Oliver Dowden has tweeted about the many people keen to “hit the gym”. Although gyms and leisure facilities will not reopen on 4 July, the minister said progress was being made and there was an “aspiration” to reopen them in mid-July.