Boris Johnson will hold a COVID-19 briefing later today after England entered lockdown for the second time.

The prime minister will be joined at the 5pm Downing Street briefing by Sir Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England.

No new measures are expected to be announced but the pair will reflect on the new restrictions that came into play today and are set to end after four weeks.

Pubs, bars, restaurants and non-essential shops are now closed for a four-week period in a bid to control the spread of COVID-19.

People have also been told to stay at home except for when attending school, college, university or work, or going food shopping.

The prime minister’s appearance will come hours after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the furlough scheme, at 80%, will be extended to March.

Earlier today, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told Sky News’ Kay Burley England’s coronavirus lockdown could be extended beyond 2 December.

“We’ve got to follow the evidence,” he said.

“If there isn’t to be an extension of this we go back into the tier system anyway, so we’d leave on a regional or local basis.

“You can’t rule anything out in this crisis and the prime minister has said that from day one.”

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