MPs’ calls to lift England out of lockdown by the end of April have been rejected as an ‘arbitrary commitment’ by the foreign secretary.

More than 60 lockdown-sceptic Tories are piling the pressure on the prime minister to commit to a strict timetable for lifting all restrictions in April, in line with vaccine targets.

The Covid Recovery Group, backed by 63 Conservative backbenchers, argued there is ‘no justification’ for restrictions to remain in England once all over-50s have been given or offered their first dose of the jab.

But Dominic Raab rejected their demands as an ‘arbitrary target’ and insisted that Boris Johnson will set out his ‘evidence-led’ roadmap out of lockdown on February 22.

He told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: ‘The plan is to get the 99% of people at risk of dying dispensed their first dose by the end of April, or certainly offered their first dose.

‘By doing so, taking the fatality out of this virus, we’re in a much better position to proceed to start to ease the lockdown… starting with schools, non-essential retail.

‘I don’t think you can set though an arbitrary target and not be evidence-led which is why the review point on February 22 is so important.’

He pointed out that the Government aims to administer the first dose to at least another 70 million people – but cannot promise a date without reviewing the impact of lockdown measures.

‘We’re making sure that as we go we take the steps based on the vaccine.

‘But then in due course as we open up schools, of course we want to see what impact that has on the virus.

‘And we need to retain some flexibility to deal with the variants, which of course are part and parcel of dealing with the pandemic, but do alter the precise timeframe.

‘So, we’ll be evidence-led but we share the ambition to get out of lockdown to transition to a better place.’

The foreign secretary said the Government is ‘aiming’ to get schools reopened ‘in a responsible way’ on March 8.

Mr Raab said the prime minister would set out the easing of restrictions next week and assured that schools would be the first to reopen.

He added: ‘Because we’re making progress, I think we’ll feel confident that we will be able to start that process of getting schools open on the 8th.’

When pressed on whether it would be all schools, he said: ‘I think we need to wait to evaluate the data carefully and allow those plans to be put in place.’

In a letter to the prime minister, the Covid Recovery Group said the Government’s ‘national priority’ of re-opening schools in England by the proposed date ‘must’ be achieved.

By Easter, they argued pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues should be able to open in a way that is Covid-secure but still allows them to operate ‘in a commercially viable manner’.

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