Coronavirus map LIVE: Lockdown sparks Tory civil war – 'Draconian measures are enough!'

Mr Hancock, who has recovered from COVID-19, warned the UK would be ready to enforce a further crackdown on social distancing including handing the police more powers in order to limit the spread of the deadly virus. The threat is understood to have divided the Prime Minister’s inner-circle after one cabinet minister told The Daily Telegraph the “draconian” measures had “gone far enough” and could harm the economy further.

At the daily briefing from Downing Street, the Health Secretary insisted the UK would stop at nothing to save lives following suggestions Britain could follow the lead of France by deploying officers to railway stations and motorway checkpoints.

He said: “We rule nothing out in terms of further social distancing, if that is needed, or further enforcement of social distancing.”

The threat of tougher measures comes as the Department for Health confirmed 684 more people died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus – the highest daily increase since the outbreak began.

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The total number of COVID-19 fatalities in the UK now stands at 3,605.

Mr Johnson, who is continuing to self-isolate following his diagnoses with coronavirus eight days ago, has urged the British public to resist temptation and stay indoors this weekend as temperatures are set to soar to 20C.

In a video posted on social media, he said: “I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if you’ve got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy.

“And there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.

“I just urge you not to do that. Please, please stick with the guidance now.”

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8.00am update: Dolly the Sheep researchers working on COVID-19 cure

Scientists responsible for cloning Dolly the Sheep more than two decades ago are reportedly working on a potential treatment for Covid-19 using immune cells from young and healthy volunteers.

Researchers from TC Biopharm, who successfully cloned Dolly the Sheep in Edinburgh in 1996, have used the new therapy – which uses immunity-building cell transfusions – to successfully treat cancer.

Dr Brian Kelly, senior strategic medical adviser to TC Biopharm, told The Daily Telegraph: “One of the key challenges of fighting viral infection is to develop something that is going to attack the infected cells and not the normal cells.

“So the solution that we came up with was to look at the body’s natural defences to viral infection.

“In patients who have successfully fought a viral infection, they have expanded their own immune system and that persists after that to stop them becoming infected again.”