Boris Johnson signals four-week delay to end of Covid lockdown in England

'In order to deliver a irreversible roadmap, you've got to be cautious', Prime Minister Boris Johnson tells ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston

The Prime Minister more or less confirmed there will be a four-week delay to ending lockdown, when he told me any easing of restrictions on our lives has to be "irreversible" and pointed to rising hospitalisations as a cause of concern.

Boris Johnson said he would set out all the details on Monday, including whether there would be an exemption for weddings from this postponement of the Stage 4 easing.

In a wide ranging interview, he also told me he would do "whatever it takes" to ensure smooth trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, after I asked whether he could rip up the Northern Ireland protocol.

He refused to say whether he regretted not putting India on the red list earlier than 23 April, even though the seeding here of the highly infectious Delta variant happened as a result of travel from India in preceding weeks.

'That was done on the best scientific advice at the time' says PM on red list decision

I asked him whether he is now a practising Roman Catholic, having recently been married in Westminster Cathedral.

He said he would not discuss such "deep issues…especially with you".

I followed up by asking whether he believed in God, mentioning that the Labour leader Keir Starmer said he did not.

In response Johnson paraphrased the bible, saying "the foolish man has said in his heart there is no God".

In full: Boris Johnson signals to Robert Peston there will be a four-week delay to lockdown easing in England

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