Health & Social Care

Prime minister to lead daily briefings alongside officials in effort to ensure clarity of government plans

Covid-19 strategy aims to reduce the peak of the outbreak, “not to suppress it completely", Patrick Vallance says

Negotiations will not take place in person, but both sides are exploring possible video discussions

Move to be confirmed later today after PM chairs COBRA meeting

£5bn public service response fund and business loans and grants among measures announced in Budget

Civil servants are following the advice of Public Health England, which is tracing people who have come into contact with Nadine Dorries

Boris Johnson and top officials warn that crisis will get worse

"We are well prepared as a country to deal with this outbreak," Sedwill tells officials

Whitty says 'social cost' of measures like school closures means government will wait until the “last possible point” to implement them

Emergency meeting lays out steps ministers could take if outbreak spreads, including calling up retired doctors to help staff hospitals

Emergency committee meeting planned after PM visits hospital to discuss preparations for treating virus

Big numbers for capital spending in next month’s budget won’t fix decade of austerity, think-tank warns