Boris Johnson will face the nation again tonight as he bets the house on a fast vaccine rollout to end lockdown despite fears he is 'over-promising'.

The PM is to hold a press conference at 5pm alongside medical and science chiefs Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance - whose warnings about the threat of the NHS being overwhelmed sparked the extraordinary U-turn to plunge England into new restrictions.

As ministers battle to prevent the brutal squeeze wiping out the hospitality and leisure sectors, Rishi Sunak has unveiled another £4.6billion bailout, offering one-off grants of up to £9,000 to keep venues afloat for the next seven weeks.

The Chancellor also hinted that furlough could be extended beyond April if necessary, even though the government's borrowing is spiralling out of control. 

But businesses are urging the government to go further by offering VAT and rates relief.

And Tory unrest is growing amid fears that Mr Johnson has raised false hopes that the measures can be lifted by mid-February. 

Michael Gove admitted this morning that there was no 'certainty' on the  timeline, as it depends on the government meeting its highly ambitious targets for vaccinating more than 13million of the most vulnerable in society.