Boris Johnson has admitted the government has got some things wrong during the pandemic, but expects the worst of it will be over "by the middle of next year".
"Of course... there are things we get wrong and we're learning the whole time," he told Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates.
"You've got to learn from your mistakes as fast as possible and that's what we're doing."
Speaking on his first anniversary as prime minister, Mr Johnson said he expects Britain will be "well on the way past" COVID-19 by the middle of next year, although warned of "tough times ahead".
"But I've absolutely no doubt that we are going to [keep the virus under control] and this country is going to bounce back stronger than ever before," he said.
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More than 40,000 people in the UK have died with coronavirus, making it one of the worst-hit countries in the world.
A further 123 people have died with coronavirus in Britain as of 5pm on Thursday, according to government figures.
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Although the lockdown has gradually eased, a number of social distancing measures are still in place - and people are wondering when they will be able to hug friends and family again.
"I'm not going to make a prediction about when these various social distancing measures will come off," Mr Johnson said.
"Obviously we have been able to reduce some of them. We no longer ask people to stay at home, we're trying to get back much closer to normal, but our ability to dispense with the social distancing measures will depend on our continued ability to drive down the virus."
Asked whether people should be "shamed" for not complying with social distancing measures, the prime minister replied: "I think we should rely on the massive common sense of the British people that have so far delivered the results that we've seen, and that's going to work."
The reproduction number, or R value, remains at 0.7 to 0.9 across the UK. This refers to the number of people on average that one infected person will pass the virus on to.
Mr Johnson also responded to suggestions that junk food adverts could be banned before the 9pm watershed in a bid to tackle obesity - widely regarded as a risk factor for becoming more seriously ill with COVID-19.
"I'm not normally a believer in nannying... type of politics," Mr Johnson said, but he added: "Losing weight is, frankly, one of the ways that you can reduce your own risks from COVID."
Having spent three nights in intensive care with coronavirus, the prime minister said he had since lost more than a stone in weight "primarily by eating less, but also by a lot of exercise".
Johnson attacks anti-vaxxers
In a separate interview with BBC News, Mr Johnson admitted the UK did not understand COVID-19 well enough in the "first few weeks and months" of the pandemic.
"And I think probably, the single thing that we didn't see at the beginning was the extent to which it was being transmitted asymptomatically from person to person," he added.
Responding to the prime minister's remarks, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said it "finally puts to bed the prime minister's previous claim his government took the right decisions at the right time".
"It was too slow to acknowledge the threat of the virus, too slow to enter lockdown and too slow to take this crisis seriously," he said.
Sir Ed Davey, acting Liberal Democrat leader, accused Mr Johnson of showing "no remorse for the catastrophic mistakes" made and called for an "immediate" inquiry.
Speaking in the House of Lords this afternoon, Conservative Baroness McIntosh of Pickering asked: "Has the Government formed a view on the use of gloves? "Obviously we're all following the guidance of washing our hands but surely the correct use of gloves outdoors and indoors could prevent the passing on of the virus?"
Health Minister Lord Bethell, concluding a debate on coronavirus regulations, replied: "To date, gloves are not in the guidance but they remain an area that we're looking at."
A European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control report released earlier this month however claimed that gloves could “neglect” a core public message of regularly washing hands to combat COVID-19.
The report added: “The use of gloves by the public in the community can lead to the misconception that handwashing/hand disinfection can be neglected, while it remains one of the important pillars of effective prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
It stressed that prolonged glove use was associated with an “increased risk of dermatological side effects, particularly if there is insufficient use of skin care products.”
The report concluded: “In the community, the recommended measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are physical distancing, adherence to a respiratory etiquette and meticulous hand hygiene; and use of face masks in areas where there is community transmission and in settings where physical distancing cannot be guaranteed.
“There is currently insufficient evidence to recommend that individuals in the community should wear medical gloves or gloves for household activities in the context of COVID-19 [8-13].
The exchanges in Parliament came on the day people in England were required to start wearing face coverings in shops, shopping centres, banks, takeaways, post offices, sandwich shops and supermarkets.
Police can hand out £100 fines to people who flout the rules.
But John Apter, the national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said forces "do not have the resources" to widely enforce the law that came into force on Friday.
He said: "It is our members who are expected to police what is a new way of living and I would urge retail outlets to play their part in making the rules crystal clear - if you are not wearing a face covering then you are not coming in.
"Officers will be there to help stores if needed - but only as a last resort, as we simply do not have the resources.
"The vast majority of the public have complied with the lockdown rules so far and I would hope they will continue to do the right thing and wear face coverings in stores to help protect fellow citizens to minimise the spread of the virus."
The Government said the responsibility for wearing a face covering "sits with individuals", adding: "Businesses are encouraged to take reasonable steps to encourage customers to follow the law, including through signs and providing other information in store."
The Prime Minister's official spokesman, added: "With shops, we would expect them to give advice to customers and remind them that they should be wearing a face covering and I'm sure the overwhelming majority of the public will do so."
The laws could be in place until at least January, and even last a year, unless the Government decides to scrap them in the meantime.
Appearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court, he was sentenced to two years and eight months for affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Two other men - Charlie Ambrose, from Brighton, and Liam Tracey, from Camden - were given suspended sentences of eight months each, suspended for two years after pleading guilty to affray.
Mr Jones suffered cuts, swelling to his back and head, and bruises down his body in the attack outside the Lexington pub on Pentonville Road in Islington, on 17 August last year.
Healy, from Portsmouth, has a string of convictions for football-related violence.
The 40-year-old Chelsea FC fan had argued he "had the hump" because the victim had bumped into him and spilled his drink.
Following his arrest, a search of his home revealed a photograph of him performing a Nazi salute as well as other items connected to far-right ideology.
In his evidence, Mr Jones told the court he "absolutely did not" knock Healy's drink.
He said he was "an unapologetic socialist, I'm an anti-racist, I'm an anti-fascist" and he was "the subject of an unrelenting campaign [of abuse] by far-right sympathisers".
'A political problem'
Recorder Judge Anne Studd QC said she would sentence Healy on the basis that the attack had been due to Mr Jones's "widely published left-wing and LGBTQ beliefs".
Following the sentencing, the journalist tweeted that "prison is not a solution to far right extremism" as Healy "will go to a prison a violent far right extremist, and probably leave prison a violent far right extremist".
"There is no judicial solution to the far right: it is a political problem," he wrote.
In another tweet he called the attack "the worst example of a concerted far right campaign of intimidation centring on the fact I'm left-wing, gay and an anti-racist".
"Far right extremists have been responsible for murder, attempted murder, terrorist plots and violence.
"That threat is not taken seriously because it means having to ask searching questions of who is responsible for radicalising them. That must end," he said.
Previously, the prime minister has said he took the "right decisions at the right time", based on the advice of scientists.
But, in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg to mark the first anniversary of his entering Downing Street, he said: "We didn't understand [the virus] in the way that we would have liked in the first few weeks and months.
"And I think, probably, the single thing that we didn't see at the beginning was the extent to which it was being transmitted asymptomatically from person to person."
The prime minister added: "I think it's fair to say that there are things that we need to learn about how we handled it in the early stages...There will be plenty of opportunities to learn the lessons of what happened."
Mr Johnson said: "Maybe there were things we could have done differently, and of course there will be time to understand what exactly we could have done, or done differently."
He added that these were still "very open questions as far as [scientists] are concerned, and there will be a time, obviously, to consider all those issues".
Mr Johnson said this was in addition to increased testing and tracing and more procurement of personal protective equipment, adding: "What people really want to focus on now is what are we doing to prepare for the next phase."
He said: "We mourn every one of the of those who lost their lives and our thoughts are very much with their with their families. And I take full responsibility for everything that government did."
The prime minister, who was himself placed in intensive care in April after contracting coronavirus, said he would "very soon" set out an new measures to deal with obesity, seen as an added risk factor for patients.
'Doubling down'
In December, Mr Johnson's Conservative Party pulled off a convincing general election win over Jeremy Corbyn's Labour, after promising to "level up" all parts of the UK.
And, despite the economic damage caused by coronavirus in the past four months or so, the prime minister promised to create more nurses, doctors, hospitals and police, saying his government's priorities were "exactly what they always have been except more so. We're doubling down."
"The agenda is what it was when I stood on the steps of Downing Street a year ago, but we want to go further and we want to go faster."
Mr Johnson reminisced about first entering No 10 as prime minister on 24 July 2019, saying it "was very exciting, and everybody seemed to be in a very good mood" and "happy, upbeat". He added that coronavirus had caused many "difficulties" since then.
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"Psychologically it's been an extraordinary time for the country," Mr Johnson said,
"But I also know that this is a nation with incredible natural resilience, and fortitude and imagination. And I think we will bounce back really much stronger than ever before."
For Labour, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "Boris Johnson has finally admitted the government has mishandled its response to the coronavirus.
"It was too slow to acknowledge the threat of the virus, too slow to enter lockdown and too slow to take this crisis seriously."
The threat of a second wave of infections was "still very real", he added, while it was "imperative the government learns the lessons of its mistakes so we can help to save lives".
Acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said an "immediate" coronavirus inquiry was "essential", and that the prime minister had shown "no remorse" for his "catastrophic mistakes".
Previously, the prime minister has said he took the "right decisions at the right time", based on the advice of scientists.
But, in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg to mark the first anniversary of his entering Downing Street, he said: "We didn't understand [the virus] in the way that we would have liked in the first few weeks and months.
"And I think, probably, the single thing that we didn't see at the beginning was the extent to which it was being transmitted asymptomatically from person to person."
The prime minister added: "I think it's fair to say that there are things that we need to learn about how we handled it in the early stages...There will be plenty of opportunities to learn the lessons of what happened."
England - whose health system is run by the UK government - went into full lockdown in late March, which critics say was too late and cost lives.
Mr Johnson said: "Maybe there were things we could have done differently, and of course there will be time to understand what exactly we could have done, or done differently."
He added that these were still "very open questions as far as [scientists] are concerned, and there will be a time, obviously, to consider all those issues".
Mr Johnson said this was in addition to increased testing and tracing and more procurement of personal protective equipment, adding: "What people really want to focus on now is what are we doing to prepare for the next phase."
He said: "We mourn every one of the of those who lost their lives and our thoughts are very much with their with their families. And I take full responsibility for everything that government did."
The prime minister, who was himself placed in intensive care in April after contracting coronavirus, said he would "very soon" set out an new measures to deal with obesity, seen as an added risk factor for patients.
'Doubling down'
In December, Mr Johnson's Conservative Party pulled off a convincing general election win over Jeremy Corbyn's Labour, after promising to "level up" all parts of the UK.
And, despite the economic damage caused by coronavirus in the past four months or so, the prime minister promised to create more nurses, doctors, hospitals and police, saying his government's priorities were "exactly what they always have been except more so. We're doubling down."
"The agenda is what it was when I stood on the steps of Downing Street a year ago, but we want to go further and we want to go faster."
Mr Johnson reminisced about first entering No 10 as prime minister on 24 July 2019, saying it "was very exciting, and everybody seemed to be in a very good mood" and "happy, upbeat". He added that coronavirus had caused many "difficulties" since then.
"Psychologically it's been an extraordinary time for the country," Mr Johnson said,
"But I also know that this is a nation with incredible natural resilience, and fortitude and imagination. And I think we will bounce back really much stronger than ever before."
For Labour, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "Boris Johnson has finally admitted the government has mishandled its response to the coronavirus.
"It was too slow to acknowledge the threat of the virus, too slow to enter lockdown and too slow to take this crisis seriously."
The threat of a second wave of infections was "still very real", he added, while it was "imperative the government learns the lessons of its mistakes so we can help to save lives".
The widow of PC Andrew Harper has said she feels "immensely disappointed" after three teenagers were found guilty of manslaughter for killing her husband.
Lissie Harper, who had only been married for a month when he died, said she felt "utterly shocked and appalled" after the verdicts at the Old Bailey.
She told media outside the court: "Standing here before all of you, I honestly thought I would be addressing you after a very different verdict."
Image:PC Andrew Harper was killed while on duty
PC Harper was dragged to his death behind a car while attempting to stop the teenagers stealing a quad bike in west Berkshire.
The car's driver, Henry Long, 19, and his passengers, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18, had denied murder.
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Image:(L-R) Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole had stolen a quad bike
All three were convicted of manslaughter after denying they knew the police officer had become entangled in a rope attached to their car.
Mrs Harper described her husband's killing as "brutal and senseless", adding that "for many, many agonising months we have hoped that justice would come in some way for Andrew".
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She continued: "Andrew was taken from us on that horrendous night last year and his life was stolen and the lives of his family and friends altered forever.
"The way in which Andrew was robbed of his life we all know to be barbaric and inexplicable. I am immensely disappointed with the verdict given today."
Image:Albert Bowers (left) and Jessie Cole (centre) leaving Reading Magistrates' Court in September 2019
Image:Albert Bowers stuck his tongue out at photographers after appearing in court
Mrs Harper paid tribute to her "incredible, selfless and heroic" husband and said he had "laid down his life for us all".
"I now have my own life sentence to bear and believe me when I say it will be a lot more painful, soul-destroying and painful journey than anyone facing a meagre number of years in prison will experience," she said.
Thames Valley Police Detective Superintendent Stuart Blaik, who also addressed media outside court, said the night of PC Harper's death was "a night we will never forget".
"Andrew lost his life doing what police officers do every day - putting themselves in harm's way," he said.
PC Harper: What happened that night?
PC Harper had already finished a long shift when he and his colleague responded to a report of a stolen quad bike on 15 August last year, the court heard.
While chasing the thieves, he became entangled in a rope attached to their Seat.
Image:The Seat Toledo with tow rope
As the teenagers' car sped off, the officer was dragged behind at speeds of 42.5mph and suffered horrific injuries.
He died at the scene.
Mr Blaik claimed the teenagers had "shown no remorse for what happened that evening".
