GRANT SHAPPS announced the Government is introducing a £2 billion travel scheme to encourage Britons to use alternative transport as the UK slowly relaxes lockdown measures.

GRANT SHAPPS announced the Government is introducing a £2 billion travel scheme to encourage Britons to use alternative transport as the UK slowly relaxes lockdown measures.

Read our live coronavirus updates HERE Coronavirus: The symptoms

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But speaking at the daily Covid-19 Downing Street press conference, Mr Shapps revealed that there was popular demand for the test slots with 16,000 people registering on Friday morning alone. Around 5,000 also got home test kits. While around 46,000 had tried to apply through the site.

Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar said it would instead fly The Spirit of Kent on a circuit around the Biggin Hill airfield at 8pm on Thursday, to coincide with the nation's weekly "Clap for our Carers" event.

The NHS coronavirus contact tracing app will be trialled in the Isle of Wight this week before being rolled out more widely later this month, the Transport Secretary said.

Fewer people would have died from coronavirus in the UK if the country had greater testing capacity sooner, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said.

The Transport Secretary will lead Saturday's briefing

The Secretary of State will be joined at Downing Street with deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam.

Travellers into UK will be quarantined for two weeks when they arrive as part of measures to prevent a second peak, Boris Johnson is expected to say. Follow the latest updates

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• UK arrivals will be required to self-isolate for two weeks

3.47pm BST

The transport secretary Grant Shapps will lead the government’s daily coronavirus press conference, which is due to begin shortly.

He will be joined by the deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam.

3.36pm BST

Tributes have been paid to a learning disabilities nurse who died after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Augustine Agyei-Mensah, known to his colleagues as Gus, was a highly regarded team member at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Our hearts break today for Augustine’s wife and young family. We remain committed to supporting them through this time.

Augustine epitomised what we stand for here at NHFT. He was committed to making a difference and giving people a second chance.

Grant Shapps privately believed his key role in Road Trip 2015 – the campaigning operation aimed at winning votes in marginal seats – would catapult him to party leader.