Chancellor Rishi Sunak has assigned Treasury officials to work on the government’s “road map” for lifting England’s coronavirus lockdown, to ensure that scientific information is matched by rigorous economic advice.
Boris Johnson will set out his plan for exiting England’s lockdown in the week commencing February 22, and the prime minister is expected to publish proposals for a phased reopening of the economy.
Schools could reopen from March 8, but no decisions have been made on the plan for the rest of the economy.
Some ministers expect that non-essential shops may not reopen until April, followed by the hospitality industry in May. This would anger backbench Conservative MPs who want the economy fully restarted as quickly as possible.
Last year tensions opened up between Mr Sunak and Mr Johnson over the pace of the economy’s reopening after England’s first lockdown.
Mr Sunak, who pushed for a swift reopening, felt the government’s “cautious”…