Boris Johnson has been unable to answer whether household mixing can take place in beer gardens in parts of the country under the most stringent restrictions, further adding to confusion about the new rules.

The Prime Minister was asked if he could clarify what the rule was for people in the North East of England, where from tomorrow two households are legally banned from mixing indoors, after a junior minister admitted this morning she did not know whether that applied to outdoor environments.

Speaking from Exeter as he announced a new commitment to lifelong learning, Mr Johnson said: "In the North East and other areas where extra-tight measures have been brought in, you should follow the guidance of local authorities but it is six in a home, six in hospitality but as I understand it, not six outside."

Asked the same question this morning Gillian Keegan, the apprenticeships and skills minister and MP for Chichester, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she did not know because she did not represent the affected area.

"I can't clarify that," she said. "I don't know the answer to that question, I am sure they can find out the answer to that question.... I am sure there are many people that could."

She said it would be "clear to everybody in those areas, it will be communicated very clearly.

Read the latest on this in our liveblog: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/09/29/boris-johnson-lockdown-jobs-brexit-news-latest/

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