BORIS Johnson said today he would make an announcement on weddings on May 24 – ahead of relaxing more rules in June.
The PM suggested he would need to give 28 days notice from June 21, where he has said he wants to relax all Covid rules and restrictions if the data is still looking good.
At the moment 30 people are restricted to weddings, and Brits face having to social distance and being banned from dancing.
Only venues which can legally open are allowed to hold weddings at the moment.
And people from different households still must stay apart from one another – meaning no fathers walking their daughters down the aisle.
Couples who have put their weddings on hold for more than a year are begging the PM to relax the rules so they can share their big day with their loved ones.
The PM has said he wants to bin all Covid restrictions next month.
He told the House of Commons today he would be making an announcement within 28 days of June 21 – meaning a statement is expected around May 24.
He said to MPs: “About weddings… it’s very important that for the purposes of the banns we will be making an important within 28 days as it were, of June 21.”
Banns of marriage are the public announcement of an upcoming wedding, which must be displayed in register offices for 28 days before marriage.
The couple then gets a legal document to allow them to marry – or enter a civil partnership.
Traditionally these banns must be read in church three Sundays before the ceremony is intended to be held.
Thanks to strict Covid rules, many couples have been unable to get married and share their special day with family and friends.
Earlier this month the PM announced rules around funerals would be relaxed thanks to the excellent Covid data, but the same rules haven’t been relaxed for weddings.
Campaigners are baffled as to why weddings were not included in recent Government pilots of large events – but clubs and sporting events were.
Hopes of relaxing rules from May 17 were dashed earlier this month when the PM announced which unlocking would happen – and it didn’t include anything extra for the wedding industry.
The PM, who is himself engaged to be married to partner, Carrie Symonds, is also set to tie the knot in the coming months.
A group of 13 senior Tory MPs, led by Esther McVey and Philip Davies have called for Covid-secure events to return as soon as possible – including unrestricted weddings.
The £15billion industry employs 400,000 people across the UK alone.
