Govt ‘absolutely open’ to put off June 21 unlocking Top Story June 7, 2021 LONDON: Ministers are “absolutely open” to delaying the June 21 unlocking in England if the Indian variant worsens the country’s coronavirus recovery prospects, the Health Secretary has said. Matt Hancock, in what will be viewed as the clearest indication yet that the target date for lifting all restrictions could slip, stressed that June 21 was a “not before” date and that it was only “pencilled in” as the next step out of lockdown. The senior government minister also implied that social distancing could continue beyond the final stage of the Prime Minister’s road map.