BORIS Johnson said he would be "very happy" to come and visit some of Bradford's "beautiful" wedding venues - after being invited to do so by Naz Shah MP - although added that full-scale weddings will not be able to take place any earlier than were outlined in his Covid roadmap yesterday.

There are plans for the hospitality industry to re-open by 12 April, with outdoor settings such as beer gardens included in the second step of the Prime Minister's roadmap.

Large weddings, however, would not be permitted to resume until 21 June at the earliest.

Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, said she welcomed the new roadmap, as Bradford had faced "extra restrictions" since July.

Ms Shah then asked the Prime Minister if wedding venues, which she said are a "big part of our industry" in Bradford, could be opened any earlier - adding that they could re-open with social distancing rules in place, just "like restaurants".

She urged the Prime Minister to "reconsider" the matter, before inviting him to "come and look at some of our amazing wedding venues in Bradford West".

In response, Mr Johnson said he was "very happy" to take up Ms Shah's offer, and said that wedding venues in Bradford do "an amazing job".

He added, however, that "full Cecil B. DeMille weddings" cannot be held any earlier than 21 June, although "smaller weddings" may be allowed before then.

In full, Naz Shah MP said: "I welcome the roadmap that has been put before the House this afternoon, because Bradford has had extra restrictions since July.

"The Prime Minister outlined plans for opening the hospitality industry by 12 April, but he said that the wedding industry, with its larger venues, would not be able to open before 21 June.

"For some businesses, those 10 weeks could make the difference between closure and bankruptcy. We have some amazing wedding venues in Bradford, they are a big part of our industry here.

"Like restaurants, they could open with people staying two metres apart, so I urge the Prime Minister to reconsider whether wedding venues could be opened sooner.

"I invite him to come and look at some of our amazing wedding venues in Bradford West, as we have so many beautiful ones."

Responding, the Prime Minister said: "I am very happy to take up her invitation to visit the beautiful wedding venues of Bradford. I know that they do an amazing job there.

"But, in answer to her point, we cannot do full Cecil B. DeMille weddings earlier than 21 June - we can do smaller weddings before then, as she knows - but at least the great businesses that she talks about now have a date to think about and to aim for."