Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "very optimistic" that he will be able to remove all coronavirus restrictions in England by 21 June under his four-stage plan for lifting lockdown.
The number of people dying weekly in England and Wales has dropped by almost 2,000, provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics show, reflecting a fall in fatalities involving coronavirus.
Rates of pay growth are running at their highest level since 2008, according to official figures which also show the first rise in payrolled employment since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
