The Prime Minister ditched Zoom despite appeals from advisers to avoid appearing in person and walked confidently into a packed cabinet room for his 9.15am meeting on Monday.

Boris Johnson, who battled the illness himself, including a spell in intensive care, will observe the minute's silence on Tuesday at 11am. Government workers will be asked to take part.

Dr Aseem Malhotra, a consultant cardiologist at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey, feels the Prime Minister's 'significant' weight was a contributing factor to his reaction to the virus.

Professor Karol Sikora, a cancer specialist, has warned that thousands of people could die from the disease and heart issues if the lockdown continues for much longer.

New guidance is being issued to councils on refuse and recycling sites as the government inches the country back towards a semblance of normal activity.

People across Britain paused for a minute at 11am in sombre tribute to the sacrifice made by those on the front line, in roles ranging from doctors and nurses to carers, cleaners and bus drivers.

Slides displayed at the daily Downing Street briefing held by Matt Hancock showed that it is now saying there must be no second peak 'that overwhelms the NHS'.

Mr Khan warned he might take the step as Boris Johnson's Government continued to insist that the evidence of their effectiveness was 'weak', despite strong steps taken elsewhere in the world.

Standing in for Boris Johnson at PMQs, First Secretary Dominic Raab was berated by Labour's Keir Starmer for refusing to trust the public with an exit strategy.

Boris Johnson previously said he would 'almost certainly' take time off when fiancee Carrie Symonds gave birth, but No10 has signalled he will not go on leave until later in the year.

At the daily No10 briefing this evening, Dominic Raab pointed to the experience in Germany as he warned that easing the draconian restrictions too early risks 'undoing all the hard work'.

The Prime Minister is expected to set out his latest thinking on social restrictions this evening when he leads the daily Downing Street press conference for the first time this month.

Prof Neil Mortensen of the Royal College of Surgeons, pictured, warned that Covid-19 has not been defeated as his one third of his members complain of shortages in PPE.

Having chaired Cabinet this morning, Boris Johnson said on Twitter that he 'understands the impatience' of people to end the draconian restrictions crippling the economy.

The 71-year-old multi-millionaire flew on a private jet to his £3 million villa on the Algarve where he said he would spend 14 days in quarantine although restrictions will actually be lifted in three.

Boris Johnson tonight announced a huge spike in the number of daily coronavirus tests to 81,000 as Matt Hancock appeared to be closing in on his 100,000 a day target.

Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, made the astonishing revelation as pressure increased on Boris Johnson to plot a way out of the crisis.

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Boris Johnson raised fears for his health tonight with a breathless first Downing Street briefing since being discharged from intensive care after battling coronavirus.

Having chaired Cabinet this morning, Boris Johnson said he 'understands the impatience' of people to end the draconian restrictions crippling the economy.

Professor Chris Whitty told an online lecture: 'It's not just in Game Of Thrones that winter is always coming ... the winter is always worse than summer, spring and autumn for health.'

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is expected today to publish key data which informed the government's decision to put the UK into coronavirus lockdown.

The Prime Minister stood on the steps of Downing Street to salute the NHS just hours after hosting his first daily press conference since recovering from the virus.

Nicola Sturgeon has already urged Scots to don home-made masks - but not medical-grade ones - in shops and on public transport.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick admitted in interviews today that getting UK plc back on its feet would require the public accepting a more 'nuanced' message.

Some 46 per cent of those surveyed said they would 'strongly support' the decision to extend lockdown, according to a new YouGov poll of 3152 adults.

During the past month, Wuhan's Institute of Virology has removed photographs of scientists working in its laboratories and edited out references to visits by US diplomats.

Boris Johnson is hoping to put teachers on three weeks' notice to re-open primary schools in England to all pupils as soon as next month (pictured, St Mary's Primary in Chippenham).

The Health Secretary last night rubbished reports that healthy over-70s were among the 'clinically vulnerable' who had been told to shield for 12 weeks.

The UK's toll is now only 264 behind Italy - the continent's original epicentre - which it will likely overtake tomorrow to suffer the second highest fatalities in the world after the United States.

A leading doctor who helped save Boris Johnson's life says coronavirus is 'this generation's polio' and warned it will have long-term effects on patients.

The Prime Minister, 55, spent a week at St Thomas's Hospital in London battling the virus in April, including three days in intensive care, admitting he came close to death.

With the FA Cup and Champions League also still to be completed, some dates are on the table for football's resumption which would result in a hectic summer ahead for Premier League players.

Selectively lifting lockdown measures could lead to resentment and anger among left-behind groups, an 'alternative SAGE' panel of experts warned today.

RMT's Assistant General Secretary Mick Lynch told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning that ministers want to be running 85%-100% of services within a fortnight despite it not being 'safe'.

Boris Johnson was warned by his own Tory MPs today that prolonging the UK's coronavirus lockdown could result in a 'tidal wave of human misery'.

The Mayor of London said he was 'really worried' about the impact any easing of restrictions would have on public transport in the capital (pictured).

The deputy chief medical officer for England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam ,said there remained 'challenges' to be overcome before the ticklist could be completed.

EU disease control chief Andrea Ammon said the UK was one of five European countries along with Poland, Romania, Sweden and Bulgaria which have yet to see a downward trend in cases.

London markets rebounded this morning and opened up by 1.6 per cent after US stocks staged a late rally and European countries start to ease coronavirus restrictions.

Nicola Sturgeon has again jumped the gun on Westminster by revealing Scotland's provisional 'exit strategy' from the coronavirus lockdown.

A ban on exercising more than once a day outside could be one of the first lockdown measures lifted by Boris Johnson, with golf courses, tennis clubs and fishing lakes allowed to reopen next month.

Professor Ferguson, 51, asked Antonia Staats, 38, to travel across London from her £1.9million home at least twice despite lecturing Britain on the need to stay apart to stop the spread of the virus.

Neil Ferguson, who advised Boris Johnson to introduce lockdown measures to combat coronavirus, has resigned after his married lover travelled across London to meet him twice.

Professor Neil Ferguson, 51, of Imperial College London, forecast grim coronavirus death tolls in the UK and US if their governments remained squeamish about social distancing.

Eileen Pirie, Neil Ferguson's mother-in-law, said the Imperial College scientist was working long hours and had been splitting his time between his flat in London and the family home in Oxford.

The timing of the disclosure that Prof Ferguson met his married lover during the lockdown on the day the UK became 'Europe's sick man' has raised questions about who blew the whistle.

Boris Johnson today announced he is hoping to begin easing the UK's coronavirus lockdown on Monday as Matt Hancock suggested cafes could reopen if they have outdoor areas.

The world's media has lined up to savage Britain's coronavirus response this week after the UK's death toll surpassed Italy's to become the worst in Europe.

EXCLUSIVE: Research for MailOnline shows 62 per cent are more worried about the effects of the draconian curbs ending too early, while 38 per cent say their main concern is the economic havoc now.