The organisers of the Brit Awards have confirmed that the 2021 ceremony has been postponed from February to May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The move comes after most of the major awards ceremonies, including the Oscars, the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes, were all shunted to later in 2021 as a consequence of the deadly disease's effect on the entertainment industry.

In a statement, Brit organisers announced a new date of May 11 for the ceremony, citing safety concerns for the crowd attending at The O2 Arena and ensuring that as many domestic and global artists as possible will be able to attend.

"We want to make sure that The Brits delivers the outstanding production levels, superstar performances and live excitement that make it the biggest night in music," said Geoff Taylor, chief exec of the BPI and Brit Awards.

"We believe that the best way to achieve this in 2021 is to move the show back a few months to May, and we are already at work planning a spectacular event that will remind us how important music has been in getting us all through these difficult times."

Big winners at this year's ceremony included Lewis Capaldi, Mabel, Stormzy and Dave.