UK PM Johnson: Could start relaxing lockdown by mid-February

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that they think that there is the prospect of beginning to relax the lockdown by mid-February "with lots of caveats," as reported by Reuters.

Meanwhile, British Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that they will get more protection quicker against the coronavirus by extending the gap between vaccine doses.

"There are unknowns in extending the gap between vaccine doses, the chances of it leading to a new mutant is a real worry but a small one," Whitty added. "There is a sensible balance of risk to increase the length of time between vaccine doses."

Market reaction

The GBP/USD pair continues to edge higher in the American trading hours and was last seen gaining 0.48% on the day at 1.3634.