Sajid Javid has said there will be “no going back” to Covid rules once England’s lockdown is lifted.
The newly appointed health secretary is due to update MPs on Monday afternoon on when restrictions are likely to end.
When Boris Johnson delayed the lifting of lockdown beyond June 21, he said July 19 was the new target.
The prime minister also said there would be a checkpoint on June 28 - today - to decide whether rules could be removed on July 5.
But Johnson recently said July 19 remains the “terminus point” for the current rules and Javid is not expected to announce an earlier easing.
Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, Javid said: “I want to see the restrictions lifted and life going back to normal as quickly as possible.
“Right here and now that is my absolute priority. I want to see those restrictions lifted as soon as we can, as quickly as possible.
“In terms of the road map to that you’ll have to wait for my statement to parliament later today.
“It’s going to be irreversible, there’s no going back. That’s why we want to be careful during that process.”
Javid was handed the health secretary post on Saturday when Matt Hancock resigned after being found to have broken his own Covid rules.
Key to the government’s decision on when to unlock is whether the link between people being infected with Covid and being hospitalised has been sufficiently severed by the vaccination programme.
On Sunday, NHS England said half of all adults under 30 in England had received a vaccine, with more than 4.2 million people aged 18 to 29 jabbed in three weeks.
