'Off for a cooked breakfast and a pint!': Tier Two drinkers rejoice as lockdown ends while those in Tier Three are left pining for the pub - as landlords get set for busy day serving 'substantial meals'

England's second national lockdown came to and end overnight, sparking a wave of excitement across social media as people prepare to return to the pubs - and landlords get set for a busy day serving 'substantial meals'.

Social media users this morning rejoiced the ending of the month-long shutdown, which ended overnight.

The lockdown rules will be replaced by a new tiered system from today. The rules mean pubs in Tier 2 areas, including London and large parts of the south-east, can reopen.

Hours after the lockdown was lifted, social media users in Tier 2 were quick to show their readiness to return to the pubs.

But those in Tier 3, where pubs and restuarants can only open for takeaway, were left pining for a pint.

One Twitter user, Neil Hughes, said: 'I'm off for a cooked breakfast and a pint.'

Nay Evans, said: 'End of lockdown, we made it. See use in the pub for 5 Guinness and a Cesar salad.'

Another said: 'Lockdown is over, you can catch me at the pub with my friends tonight, unless you are in Tier 2 or 3.' 

What can you do in a pub in each tier? 

Another user of Twitter said: 'Me getting ready to go to the pub tomorrow.'

Jo Mac, a Twitter user, said: 'And we are out of lockdown! Wohoooo!!! Who wants to come to the pub with me for a pint and a substantial meal?' 

Another said: 'Woohoo! Lockdown has ended. We are free to have a beer down the pub.

'With a scotch egg of course. Do we have to sit at a table and use a knife and fork to eat it, or can we stand at the bar?'

Another said: 'Lockdown is over, you can catch me at the pub with my friends tonight, unless you are in Tier 2 or 3.' 

But while people in Tier 2 were left excited for a trip to the pub, those in Tier 3 were left pining for a pint.

One said: 'Back in Tier 3, well done everyone! - Now let's get Tier 2 so I can go to the pub!'

Another said: 'Oh great, after four weeks I can go to non-essential shops again. But not to the pub or anything enjoyable.

'Tier 1 before lockdown, Tier 3 today, utter madness.' 

It comes as yesterday a row deepened over whether a scotch egg can be classed as a 'substantial meal' under rules only allowing alcohol to be served with food from today.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told LBC two scotch eggs would be 'a starter', 24 hours after Environment Secretary George Eustice said one is a substantial meal.

Diners will be able to eat al fresco outside central London restaurants for next six months 

Diners will be able to eat in al fresco outside central London restaurants for the next six months, it was revealed today.

Pubs and restaurants in the capital will be allowed to reopen tomorrow under Tier 2 coronavirus rules, along with much of the rest of the country.

Diners will be allowed to eat together as long as there are a maximum of six people sat with each other and everyone in the group is from the same support bubble or household if sat inside.

And Westminster Council has announced the new rules allowing groups to eat al fresco in groups of up to six in mixed households from tomorrow will be continued for a further six months.

Council leader Rachael Robathan, said the scheme, which allows venues to provide 'pop up' dining areas in streets, would be an important way of supporting the hospitality industry.

She said: 'We have 3,700 restaurants, pubs and bars in central London and they help to support around 80,000 jobs.

'Hospitality is a big employer for us and while the sector faces another tough few months under tier two restrictions, at least we can support those venues who can offer outside space.'

At the same time, Westminster City Council has launched a 'shop safe' campaign, which emphasises measures the authority has taken to make the streets as safe as possible.

These include widening pavements, installing 7 miles (11km) of cycle lanes, social distance signage and hand sanitiser stations across the City.

A social media campaign being launched by Westminster City Council on Wednesday will underline the safety messages.

Mr Gove reiterated his stance on LBC in a second interview on Good Morning Britain yesterday - before backtracking and then telling ITV News: 'A scotch egg is a substantial meal.'

The confusion came after the Government said people going into Tier 2 from today will have to have a 'substantial meal' to allow them to buy a pint.

The law says a substantial meal is 'might be expected to be served as breakfast, the main midday or main evening meal, or as a main course at such a meal'.

Some pubs have now brought out new menus, with one offering a 'Boris Menu' of £1.99 meals - while Wetherspoon has launched a new breakfast muffin range. 

Landlords accused the Government of providing 'no clarity' on the substantial meal rule.

One Essex pub has launched a new £1.99 simplified food menu so that customers can enjoy alcoholic drinks, but do not have to spend lots of money or have a large meal.

Named 'The Boris Menu', The Kings Head in Gosfield is offering plates such as a hotdog and chips; baked beans on toast with cheese; and cheeseburger and chips.

Pub owner Matthew Arnold, 38, told Essex Live: 'Every time a new regulation is implemented it incurs a lot of time and cost for pubs to abide.

'It's the frustration that prompted the menu idea initially at the same time as catering for customers that don't necessarily want a large and costly meal each time they want to visit us.'

Meanwhile the Wetherspoon pub chain has launched a new breakfast menu ahead of tomorrow's reopening, include a muffin range and reducing the price of coffee and tea to 99p.

Customers can choose from four new breakfast muffins – egg and bacon; egg and sausage; breakfast (with bacon and sausage); and egg and cheese.

In Worcester, one pub is teaming up with a fish and chip shop in order to stay open under Tier 2 rules.

Mark and Debie Daniels, of The Brewers Arms, which has no kitchen, has partnered with Nick Zipiti of St John's Fish Bar, according to Worcester News.

It means The Brewers Arms can keep pulling pints - which they would be otherwise unable to do without serving a substantial meal alongside.

The pub will operate around the chip shop's usual hours and customers will be asked to order food at the bar before being able to buy a drink.

Mr Daniels told the paper: 'This partnership has allowed us to open again as we do not have a kitchen on site. We went to the council and they were impressed with the idea and allowed us to operate in this way for now. I am really pleased.'

It comes as people in England have been quick to seize upon greater freedoms after the national lockdown ended and was replaced by a tiered system of restrictions.

Mark and Debie Daniels, of The Brewers Arms, which has no kitchen, has partnered with Nick Zipiti of St John's Fish Bar, according to Worcester News . It means The Brewers Arms can keep pulling pints - which they would be otherwise unable to do without serving a substantial meal alongside

A row has broken out over whether a scotch egg can be classed as a 'substantial meal'

The Kings Head in Gosfield, Essex , is offering £1.99 plates on a 'Boris Menu' such as a hotdog and chips; baked beans on toast with cheese; and cheeseburger and chips

London and Liverpool will be put into Tier 2, while only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are in the bottom tier

Fury at government's 'token' one-off £1,000 payment for 'wet' boozers

Pub landlords have warned that the tier system will force traditional old fashioned pubs out of business after the government's proposed support package was met with derision.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today that all 'wet' pubs that do not serve food would be given a one-off grant of £1,000.

He said the payout was to recognise 'how hard they have been hit by this virus in what is typically their busiest month'.

But one pub landlord accused the Prime Minister of using the 'token gesture' as a means to appease Tory rebels criticising the tier system.

The chair of the Campaign for Pubs, Paul Crossman, who runs The Swan, The Slip Inn and Volunteer Arms pubs in York, said the meagre £1,000 grant has 'offended' pub owners.

He also warned it spells the end for many old fashioned pubs that do not serve food.

'A lot of publicans are saying they are really offended by this amount,' he said.

'It might sound a lot to someone in the street but the revenues that pubs have to take to stay afloat, £1000 is nothing. It won't save any pub, put it that way.' 

Some of the most hardcore fitness fanatics even hit the weights for a midnight workout as one London gym owner threw open his doors at the stroke of midnight.  

All non-essential shops are allowed to open from today, paving the way for a festive spending spree that will likely drive people back to the nation's ailing high streets. 

A fire sale at Debenhams is expected to fuel the shopping bonanza as bargain-hunters are lured by price cuts of up to 70 per cent ahead of the company's impending liquidation following the collapse of rescue talks.

A precursor to today's likely stampede for generous discounts - as the chain reopens its soon-to-be axed 124 stores - was seen last night when more than a million people swamped the department store's website.  

The sudden burst of activity as England flings off the blanket restrictions is being dubbed 'Wild Wednesday' - but will still see the overwhelming majority of the public living under draconian laws.  

Boris Johnson last night overcame the largest Tory rebellion of his premiership for his new tier system to clear the Commons by 291 to 78, with abstaining Labour MPs getting the vote across the line.

It heralds a tack back to the Government's previous strategy of carving the country into three 'alert levels' - albeit this time with harsher measures and with 99 per cent of the country facing the top two tiers. 

Pubs have had their curfew extended to 11pm but are grappling with the fresh regulations. In Tier 2, they can only serve alcohol with a 'substantial meal' and in Tier 3 they are limited to just takeaways. 

But despite the presence of the pandemic still looming large over everyday life, many Britons were jubilant as the showering of freedoms came into effect today. 

Some of the most hardcore fitness fanatics even hit the weights for a midnight workout as one London gym owner, Andreas Michli, , who was previously fined for breaching lockdown, threw open his doors on the stroke of 12

Hundreds of thousands of shoppers have swamped the Debenhams website to snap up generous discounts as the department store tries to clear its stock before closing for good

Debenhams on Oxford Street in London last night. The 242-year-old brand entered administration and shops will shortly close

 

 

Boris Johnson last night overcame the largest Tory rebellion of his premiership for his new tier system to clear the Commons by 291 to 78, with abstaining Labour MPs getting the vote across the line 

PM suffers biggest revolt of his premiership - but wins tiers vote  

Boris Johnson got his brutal post-lockdown tiers approved by the Commons last night thanks to Sir Keir Starmer's tacit support after suffering the biggest Tory revolt of this Parliament as more than 50 Tories defied the whip. 

The new three-tier system was signed off by a margin of 291 to 78 and came into force at midnight after Labour opted to abstain, despite complaining the regime was not tough enough and there was not enough support for hospitality firms which have been crippled by government shutdowns.    

While the headline 213 majority was healthy, the rebellion of 55 Tories – including Julian Lewis, who is suspended – made the uprising the biggest of this Parliament yet, after 44 previously went against the pubs curfew. 

Another 17 appear to have abstained, though it is not clear how many were given permission to stay away. Sir Keir also suffered his own revolt, with 15 defying the whip, alongside Jeremy Corbyn and eight DUP politicians. 

Though the Labour move guaranteed No10 victory, it left Mr Johnson exposed to the anger of his own benches. Had all the opposition parties voted against the Government, the PM would have easily been defeated.

The rebellion may have permanently dashed the possibility of using blanket shutdowns to suppress the virus in the future, and is likely to have set off alarm bells in No10 as the premier's authority continues to wane. 

As England woke up to eased restrictions of varying degree: 

Gym boss Andreas Michli, 34, was mobbed by supporters tonight as he threw his doors open on the stroke of midnight.

The owner was fined £67,000 and taken to court last month by Haringey Council after a stand-off with more than 30 police officers over three days at the Zone Gym in Wood Green, North London.

But last night he was back in business and welcomed around 60 people through his doors - and boasted the prime minister had been swayed by his protest.

As crowds queued up to get back on the treadmills, Mr Michli told MailOnline: 'There's no doubt in my mind we succeeded in changing the Prime Minister's mind about allowing gyms to open.

'He saw what was going on and he listened. But the war goes on and now it's not just about gyms anymore. I feel like I'm fighting on behalf of businesses of all kind.

'So many business owners are suffering, so it's great to see the buzz here tonight and the excitement now that we are opening up again.'

Among those first in the door was personal trainer Sophia Sammee, 35, from Friern Barnet, North London who said: 'You can see the happiness in people's faces here tonight.

'Everyone is buzzing that lockdown is over.' This gym has been my home and I really wanted to be here on the stroke of midnight. Andreas was brave to stay open and I was proud to support him.'

Paralegal Dennis Adjei-Sarpong, 26, said: 'There are so many smiles here tonight now that this place is back open. People just want to get lost in their work-outs and their fitness again. I myself can't wait to hit the weights. It's a great moment.' 

Paralegal Dennis Adjei-Sarpong, 26, said: 'There are so many smiles here tonight now that this place is back open. People just want to get lost in their work-outs and their fitness again. I myself can't wait to hit the weights. It's a great moment.' 

Zone Gym in Wood Green in North London welcomed around 60 people through his doors at the stroke of midnight

Mr Michli told MailOnline: 'There's no doubt in my mind we succeeded in changing the Prime Minister's mind about allowing gyms to open'

The UK recorded another 13,430 coronavirus infections and 603 deaths in the past 24 hours as England exits shutdown

Just 18 local authorities see Covid cases rise 

Just eighteen authorities in England have seen a rise in Covid-19 cases over the most recent week, according to official figures that call into question whether 99 per cent of the country needs to be in the toughest two tiers of lockdown.

Only eight areas – Ashford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Maidstone, Medway, Tonbridge and Malling, Boston in Lincolnshire and South Ribble in Lancashire – will be subject to Tier Three restrictions, which will see all pubs, bars and restaurants forced to shut.

The other areas that have seen a spike in infections – Mendip, Torridge, Surrey Heath, Woking, Basildon, Harlow, Ipswich, North Norfolk, Peterborough and Waltham Forest – will fall under the second harshest bracket. Residents living in Tier Two will be banned from mixing indoors with other households.

It means the other 297 lower-tier authorities in England – home to around 53million people – saw a fall in coronavirus cases in the seven-day spell ending November 25, the most recent week of data.

Despite Public Health England data showing Covid outbreaks are shrinking across the rest of the country, 55million people will find themselves living in either Tier Two or Tier Three when the national lockdown ends tomorrow.

Mr Michli clocked up a fortune in fixed penalty notices only to rip them up on his Instagram channel and invite members back to his gym -only for magistrates to close him down.

Despite breaking the law during lockdown he says he had been swamped with messages of support from well-wishers across the country.

'I'm not paying the fine and if Haringey Council want the money then they will have to take me to court, because I'm not handing over a penny. I feel like the public have swayed behind me and it's an incredible feeling.

'We were expecting a big crowd at twelve because we've had so many people saying on social media they wanted to be here for when the doors open.

'We've had a lot of love and support from across the country backing us. Because we're a 24-hour gym, it made sense to open on the stroke of midnight.'

Mr Michli has 1,200 members but social distancing rules mean he will be limited to 85 members in his gym at any one time.

'We will be following the government guidelines relating to how many people can be on the premises at any one time. And we will be enforcing social distancing. Still it's a big step back to normal life.' 

Wild Wednesday is also expected to see a blitz of high street stores as people look to snap up gifts weeks out from Christmas.

It will be fuelled by a bargain bonanza from Debenhams which has slashed prices on handbags, shoes, boots, watches and dresses.

The chain has become the latest high street casualty and will be liquidated in the New Year after rescue talks with JD Sport fell through, drawing a line under 242 years of trading and jeopardising 12,000 jobs.   

Late Tuesday night there was a 20-minute wait 'due to exceptional demand' with over 300,000 trying to get on to the website at one point, and the total number of shoppers topping one million.

A bruising year for the retail sector amid the pandemic climaxed this week when both Debenhams and Sir Philip Green's Arcadia group collapsed. 

Arcadia, which owns Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Burton, tipped into administration, putting 13,000 jobs at risk. 

Now you CAN hug your granny: Ministers REVERSE ban on hugging elderly loved ones in care homes this Christmas as they roll out rapid coronavirus tests 

Care home residents will finally be able to hug their families again, ministers announced last night.

A national roll-out of rapid tests means relatives who are free of Covid will be allowed visits for the first time since March.

Each care home resident will be able to nominate two loved ones to see them twice a week, regardless of which coronavirus tier they are in.

More than a million testing kits have already been sent out to almost 400 large care homes and the first visits can take place today.

The announcement is a major victory for the Daily Mail's campaign for families to be reunited by Christmas.

'This is a game-changing moment for visits,' said Vic Rayner of the National Care Forum.

'It will be embraced across the country by care home residents, their loved ones and providers.'

Guidelines issued by the Department of Health last night say the 'default position' is visits should go ahead in all tiers – unless there is a coronavirus outbreak in the care home.

Most of the country's 410,000 care residents have been allowed to see relatives only through prison-style screens and windows. Other homes have imposed blanket bans, causing some elderly to 'give up on life'. 

Care home visits have been tightly regulated all year to try and reduce the risk of people spreading Covid-19 in the homes, where residents are extremely vulnerable to the disease (Pictured: A woman visits her step-father at a home in Falmouth, Cornwall last week)

But in a major shift in policy, Matt Hancock declared all residents will be allowed face-to-face indoor visits by Christmas. The Health Secretary said: 'I know how difficult it has been for people in care homes and their families to be apart for so long. The separation has been painful but has protected residents and staff from this deadly virus.

'I'm so pleased we are now able to help reunite families and more safely allow people to have meaningful contact with their loved ones by Christmas.'

The rapid tests will be delivered to all the country's 16,000 care homes over the course of the month. On arrival, visitors will receive a lateral flow test, which gives highly-accurate results within 30 minutes.

A negative result means they will be allowed indoors and can hold hands or hug their loved one as long as they are wearing PPE.

Over the past three weeks, the Mail's Christmas campaign has drawn attention to the catastrophic impact of visiting bans on the mental and physical health of residents.

Tens of thousands of the vulnerable and elderly have been forced to die alone, robbed of a last loving hug from their families.

Caroline Abrahams of the charity Age UK said: 'The Daily Mail's campaign has highlighted an issue that means everything to hundreds of thousands of older people and their families, and it's clear it has successfully moved many hearts, as well as minds.

'It's really good news that the Government has significantly shifted its position on visiting and we sincerely hope that their new guidance, plus the additional practical support they are offering to care homes, will lead to many families being reunited with their loved ones after an awfully long time.'

Campaign group Rights for Residents said last night: 'There is no longer an excuse to keep families locked out.'

The Department of Health said it would issue an extra 46million items of PPE, such as face masks and gowns, to care homes for visitors to wear. They said families should minimise contact to cut the risk of transmission.

Fiona Carragher, a director at the Alzheimer's Society, said: 'Hugs, a smile from a familiar face, holding hands, feeling joy again – these are hugely important, as is the essential care that family carers provide to people with dementia. Quite literally keeping people alive and tethered to the world.

'We pass on our massive thanks to the Daily Mail for amplifying this absolutely tragic issue. With such a harrowing year, this news of a more joyful Christmas has never been more needed.'

Martin Green of Care England, which represents care providers, warned that homes still faced a 'huge administrative and logistical burden' in order to allow visits before Christmas. He criticised the Government for failing to allow provision for the extra staffing that may be required.

Most of the country's 410,000 care residents have been allowed to see relatives only through prison-style screens and windows. Other homes have imposed blanket bans. Pictured, Dave Stallard at his care home in West Sussex being visited by his wife Irene

He added: 'There seems to be no understanding that this puts a huge administrative and logistical burdens on care providers.

'There is all this extra work being put on people and somehow they think there is a bottomless pit of resources available to deal with all these things.'

Mike Padgham, chairman of the Independent Care Group, said care homes faced a 'mammoth task' to allow family visits before Christmas and many relatives were likely to lose out.

He said: 'How we are going to get everybody through by appointment to see their loved ones before Christmas is a big challenge for us. We want the visiting to happen, there is no question about that.

'But I wish the Government had said 'we will do our best to do this asap' rather than before Christmas because logistically I don't know how we can get everybody through safely in the time we have got left before Christmas.

'My big fear is homes could be blamed for not doing it. It is not our fault. We want this to happen but we haven't got the tests yet and there is a lot to get through.

'It seems like the Government has placed us in the firing line if it goes wrong.'