Outdoor markets and car showrooms will be allowed to reopen from June 1 as long as they adhere to strict social distancing guidelines.
The move will provide a welcome boost for businesses forced to close in March at a huge financial cost to themselves and to the Treasury, which has spent hundreds of billions of pounds keeping them afloat and their staff paid.
But tonight’s announcement came as Mr Johnson faces massive political pressure to sack his chief aide Dominic Cummings.
The timing is likely to fuel suspicion among politician opponents that he has pulled this positive news out of his hat to deflect attention from the huge political fallout.
