By Press Association 2021 Matt Hancock Lockdown restrictions in England will remain in place for as “long as they are necessary”, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said, as he suggested there are no current plans to tighten existing rules. Mr Hancock urged people not to “take the mickey” out of the restrictions, but said it was “impossible to know” when they could be eased. “We will keep the restrictions in place not a moment longer than they are necessary, but we will keep them in place as long as they are necessary,” he told Sky News. “These measures that we have got in place that we hope to be able to lift – and we should be able to lift, when we have been able to protect through vaccination those who are vulnerable – right now, the vaccination is not in a position to do that.”