UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson signals restrictions may continue beyond Christmas

Boris Johnson did not deliver an entirely negative forecast in his Andrew Marr interview. He rejected the idea that the UK would be stuck in a series of rolling lockdowns for years to come, and he insisted that by next spring the outlook would be very different. But generally, though, his message to the UK was a sobering one. He said:

I know people are furious, and they are furious with me and furious with the government. But, you know, I’ve got to tell you in all candour, it’s going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond. But this is the only way to do it.

That seemed a clear hint that he expects some local lockdown measures to continue into 2021.

Q: Eight years ago I had a stroke and I suffered serious fatigue when I came back to work. Have you suffered something similar? Have you got long Covid?

Johnson describes that claim as “drivel” and “balderdash”

Q: If you had it, would you tell the British people and stand down.

Johnson says when he got it, he was too fat. This should be teachable moment, he says.

Q: You are probably the only person in the world who understands what President Trump is going through. What would you tell him?

Johnson says he thinks Trump will be fine. He should follow his doctors’ advice.

Q: He should eat fewer cheeseburgers?

Johnson says he is not making a point about Trump, but obesity is a serious problem, he says.

And that’s it. The interview is over.

Reaction, a summary and analysis coming up …

Q: Was the Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross talking about you when he said people in government were putting the union at risk. (See 8.50am.)

Johnson says he is a big supporter of the union. And Brexit will be good for Scotland.

Q: Will you get a trade deal with the EU?

Johnson says there is a deal to be done. But the EU needs to understand Britain’s demands.

Q: Is no deal really an option. Mark Rutte, the Dutch PM, says no deal would be a geopolitical disaster?

Good for Mark, says Johnson. He says he wants a deal on terms offered to other countries.

But the UK can “more than live with it” if there is no deal, he says.

Q: You are losing the support of Tory MPs.

Johnson says he is a freedom-loving Tory. But he needs to save lives.

Q: Will a vaccine arrive this year?

Johnson says it is possible, but he does not want to promise that.

Q: Will we be in and out of restrictions for years to come?

No, says Johnson.

He says that by next spring things will be radically different. That is the cycle for a virus, he says.

He says policies like mass testing can make a big difference.

Q: Why has there been a sudden spike in the number of people testing positive?

Johnson says there was a problem with the way the numbers were counted.

He repeats his line about the need for people to behave “fearlessly, but with common sense”.

Q: You keep over-promising. Can you be a bit more realistic?

Johnson says he wants to offer hope. We can get through this, he says.

He says things can be “significantly different” by Christmas. But it is also likely there are bumpy months ahead.

Q: You promised 100% of test results being turned around within 24 hours. Now only 38% are. What’s gone wrong?

Johnson says the system is not perfect.

He says the number of tests, and the demand for tests, has gone up massively since he made that promise.

Am I frustrated with the service? Of course …

But he won’t criticise the service, he says.

And he repeats the claim it will reach 500,000 tests a day by the end of this month.

Q: The 10pm curfew may be making things worse. Can you produce scientific evidence to defend it?

Johnson says the evidence is that the virus is spread in pubs, and people get more convivial as the evening goes on.

Obviously it makes no sense if people follow the guidance in the pub, but then “hobnob” outside in a way that doesn’t. They should follow the guidelines.

Q: You have accused people of being blasé. But you encouraged people to mix through Eat Out to Help Out.

Johnson says it was important to restart the economy.

The scheme helped to protect jobs. There are 2m jobs in the hospitality sector, he says.

Johnson says he does not think anyone has got any better ideas for how to tackle the crisis.

Johnson says he understands the fatigue people feel.

They are furious with me, they are furious with the government.

But he says he must tell people “in candour” that it may continue to be bumpy until Christmas, and beyond.

• Johnson signals restrictions may continue beyond Christmas.

UPDATE: See 10.22am for the full quote.

Q: Oldham has had a lockdown for six weeks. But the numbers are not going down. It is not working, is it?

Johnson says it is too early to say.

Q: What about Manchester. After six weeks infections are almost 10 times as high as they were. I don’t know why these measures are not working. Do you?

Johnson says a lot of factors are in play. There are positive signs, he says. Hospital admissions and death rates remain low.

Q: People say you are not up to it.

Johnson says, he he just treated to face this with his normal bonhomie, people would say that was inappropriate.

He says the Conservatives are still committed to their reform agenda.

Johnson says the government has to strike a balance between saving lives and allowing the economy to recover.

He says he wants people to “behave fearlessly, but with common sense”.

He says he hopes that within the next few months science will help to provide new solutions.

Boris Johnson is being interviewed by Andrew Marr now.

Q: What would you say to business people looking ahead to the next six months with terror?

Johnson says they have his deepest sympathy. The government has a package of policies to support them, he says.