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Pubs could be allowed to reopen as early as next month, after the Prime Minister ordered a review of the six-foot social distancing rule.

Boris Johnson told MPs on Wednesday that he hopes to allow watering holes and restaurants to re-open earlier than July 4 - the date which has been set down in the government's roadmap out of lockdown.

Pubs and restaurants have been closed across Britain since the government imposed the coronavirus lockdown at the end of March. 

But, appearing in front of the Liaison Committee on Wednesday, the Prime Minister gave Britons hope that they'll soon be able to enjoy a drink in a beer garden. 

 
He said: 'On hospitality... we are really trying to go as fast as we can. It is really difficult to bring forward hospitality measures in a way that involves social distancing. 

'But I am much more optimistic about that than I was. We may be able to do things faster than I previously thought.' 

In the same meeting, Mr Johnson asked top Government scientists to review the two-metre social distancing rule in the 'hope' that it can be reduced.

The rule is thought to be the biggest barrier to the reopening of the hospitality industry, with 80 per cent of pubs unable to reopen while it is in place. 

The UK has one of the strictest contact gap rules in the world to counter coronavirus transmission, double the one metre gap recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

That is the distance permitted in Hong Kong, Singapore, France and China, while Australia, Germany and the Netherlands recommend 1.5 metres.