diff --git a/blocks/components/editable/index.js b/blocks/components/editable/index.js
index 165161fe0c7a8b..83672b055e21ac 100644
--- a/blocks/components/editable/index.js
+++ b/blocks/components/editable/index.js
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ export default class Editable extends wp.element.Component {
 	}
 
 	onInit() {
-		this.focus();
+		this.updateFocus();
 	}
 
 	onFocus() {
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ export default class Editable extends wp.element.Component {
 		return nodeListToReact( this.editor.getBody().childNodes || [], createElement );
 	}
 
-	focus() {
+	updateFocus() {
 		const { focus } = this.props;
 		if ( focus ) {
 			this.editor.focus();
@@ -244,6 +244,8 @@ export default class Editable extends wp.element.Component {
 				this.editor.selection.select( this.editor.getBody(), true );
 				this.editor.selection.collapse( false );
 			}
+		} else {
+			this.editor.getBody().blur();
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -252,8 +254,8 @@ export default class Editable extends wp.element.Component {
 	}
 
 	componentDidUpdate( prevProps ) {
-		if ( !! this.props.focus && ! prevProps.focus ) {
-			this.focus();
+		if ( this.props.focus !== prevProps.focus ) {
+			this.updateFocus();
 		}
 
 		// The savedContent var allows us to avoid updating the content right after an onChange call
diff --git a/editor/modes/visual-editor/block.js b/editor/modes/visual-editor/block.js
index 0c90fe510e4f1e..26e4acd87d1ed5 100644
--- a/editor/modes/visual-editor/block.js
+++ b/editor/modes/visual-editor/block.js
@@ -81,6 +81,9 @@ class VisualEditorBlock extends wp.element.Component {
 		const { keyCode, target } = event;
 		if ( 8 /* Backspace */ === keyCode && target === this.node ) {
 			this.props.onRemove( this.props.uid );
+			if ( this.props.previousBlock ) {
+				this.props.onFocus( this.props.previousBlock.uid, { offset: -1 } );
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -96,6 +99,7 @@ class VisualEditorBlock extends wp.element.Component {
 
 		// Do nothing if the previous block is not mergeable
 		if ( ! previousBlockSettings.merge ) {
+			onFocus( previousBlock.uid );
 			return;
 		}
 
@@ -129,7 +133,7 @@ class VisualEditorBlock extends wp.element.Component {
 		);
 	}
 
-	componentDidUpdate() {
+	componentDidUpdate( prevProps ) {
 		if ( this.previousOffset ) {
 			window.scrollTo(
 				window.scrollX,
@@ -137,6 +141,11 @@ class VisualEditorBlock extends wp.element.Component {
 			);
 			this.previousOffset = null;
 		}
+
+		// Focus node when focus state is programmatically transferred
+		if ( this.props.focus && ! prevProps.focus ) {
+			this.node.focus();
+		}
 	}
 
 	render() {