The final stage of easing lockdown restrictions in England is to be delayed until 19 July.

Boris Johnson has once again been persuaded that he must do the inevitable and cancel “Freedom Day” – a decision that will deeply rankle with him.

The prime minister is said to have complained to aides over the weekend about briefings to newspapers at the end of last week that a four-week delay was the likely outcome, saying he had technically not made the decision yet. But one thing matters more to Johnson than being able to join crowds in a packed pub on 21 June: not having to close them again a few weeks later.

There are some cabinet grumblings, though not from anyone who really has influence. Johnson took the decision at the beginning of his premiership to avoid the weekly cabinet showdowns that plagued Theresa May by appointing loyalists who do not speak out of turn on issues outside their brief.

It means most remaining curbs on social contact will continue beyond 21 June, when they had been due to be lifted.

The limit on wedding guest numbers will be removed but venues will still have to adhere to other rules.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there would be a review after two weeks and he was "confident" the delay would not need to be longer than four weeks.

However, he told a Downing Street press conference he could not rule out the possibility the date could be pushed back further.

Scientists advising the government had warned of a "significant resurgence" in people needing hospital treatment for Covid-19 if stage four of easing the lockdown went ahead on 21 June.

It comes amid rising cases, driven by the more transmissible Delta variant, which was first identified in India.