Boris Johnson wants to relax England's lockdown at Easter

Boris Johnson during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus. Photograph: Pippa Fowles/10 Downing Street/Crown Copyright/PA Wire. - Credit: PA

Prime minister Boris Johnson is keen to relax England’s lockdown in time for Easter, reports claim.

Johnson is said to be making “top secret” plans for an Easter relaxation of rules, which could – at least – allow families to mix outside again.

Lockdown regulations are currently set to end on March 31 – just days before Good Friday on April 2.

The prime minister is under pressure to offer a route out of lockdown by Tory backbench MPs.

The Sun reports that Cabinet Office civil servants have been asked to build a detailed “unlocking framework” to open up the country again.

Journalist Tom Newton Dunn has likened the possible relaxation to the pause in measures over the Christmas period – which were eventually tightened again.

A senior government source admitted to the newspaper it may be too soon to speculate.

They said: “It’s way too soon to start talking about when, but the work is being done quietly on the how.”

Britain currently has the worst Covid death rate in the world and reported the highest daily death toll of the pandemic so far on Tuesday.