Prime minister sticks by hospitality restrictions saying results will 'take time to feed through'

The prime minister has said "we have to stick to the plan" to combat Covid-19 and warned he "will not hesitate to take further measures" if the evidence requires.

In this evening's press conference Boris Johnson declined to roll back on last week's measures stressing that the package he had introduced "will take time to feed through".

His comments came after yesterday saw positive test results reach 7,000 for the first time.

Despite the increase the prime minister did not announce increased restrictions as had been anticipated.

Instead he called on the country to "follow the rules" with "collective forbearance" and "common sense".

The prime minister had been under pressure to reassess some of the measures put in place last week, in particular the 10pm curfew, after pictures showed unregulated crowds drinking and dancing in the streets over the weekend, while hospitality operators reported a "massive reductions" in revenue.

However, this evening he stressed he would not be abandoning the restrictions.

He went on to say he "profoundly disagreed" with those advocating "letting the virus take its course", adding that he believed the country "wants to fight".

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