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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced coronavirus restrictions will ease further in England under plans for a "significant return to normality" by Christmas, but is that really possible?

Under the new guidelines, people may use public transport for journeys immediately, while advice for employers will change from 1 August.

Companies will have more discretion to bring staff back to workplaces if it is safe to do so, the PM explained.

Mr Johnson added he was "hoping for the best and planning for the worst".

At a news conference at Downing Street, the prime minister said the plan "remains conditional" on continued progress in controlling the virus and preventing a second wave of infections that could overwhelm the NHS.

"It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest - possibly in time for Christmas," he said.

Devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have the power to set their own timings for the easing of restrictions.

In the studio Mark Urban is joined by UCL Clinical Research Director Prof Christina Pagel and former Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Mark Walport.

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