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1.32pm GMT
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the prime minister’s spokesman refused to rule out the possibility of the lockdown in England lasting until the summer.
Asked directly whether he could rule out the lockdown lasting into the summer, the spokesman said:
We will continue to keep all of the scientific evidence and data under review. It remains our position that we want to ease restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so, but in order for us to do that we need to see the transmission rates of the virus come down and we need to see the pressure on the NHS reduce.
1.21pm GMT
In 2016, when Boris Johnson was mayor of London, he infuriated Barack Obama by writing an article in the Sun implying the Obama’s anti-Britishness helped to explain why a bust of Winston Churchill had been removed from the Oval office. Obama responded at a press conference, saying that in fact he loved Churchill.
Now Joe Biden has also marked his arrival in the Oval Office by removing a bust of Churchill. But, at the Downing Street lobby briefing, the prime minister’s spokesman refused to offer any criticism. Asked about Biden’s decision, the spokesman said:
The Oval Office is the president’s private office and it’s up to the president to decorate it as he wishes.
I would point you back to what the prime minister has said previously about looking forward to working closely with Joe Biden.