The PM will chair the regular morning meeting of the government’s Covid-19 “war cabinet” before heading into a series of meetings with senior ministers and officials.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab – who has been deputising for him in his absence – said he was “raring to go” after a fortnight convalescing at Chequers, his official country residence.

He arrived back on Sunday evening to a growing clamour from senior Tories to begin lifting the lockdown amid mounting concern at the damage it is causing to the economy.

Scientists advising the government have warned any relaxation risks a renewed flare up just as the numbers of patients in hospital with the disease is beginning to fall.

Raab said the outbreak was at a “delicate and dangerous” phase and people would have to get used to a “new normal” – with social distancing measures set to remain in place for “some time” to come.

The pressure to begin easing the restrictions came from a series of wealthy Tory backers who called over the weekend for the government to allow the economy to re-start.

They echoed former chancellor Philip Hammond who said the country could not afford to wait for a vaccine to be developed, saying the “economy will not survive that long”.

Johnson has less then two weeks before the next major decision point comes up with the next three-week review of the lockdown restrictions due on May 7.

Raab said the government was doing its “homework” in preparation for when the rules could be eased.

It is thought that amongst the first could be a re-opening of schools, although Raab said that would be “inconceivable” without some further measures in place.

Ministers are also thought to be considering allowing some non-essential businesses to open such as garden centres and car showrooms, provided social-distancing could be maintained.

Raab also indicated that officials were looking at possible checks at air and sea ports with passengers arriving in the UK required to quarantine for 14 days.

Such a measure could form part of the next stage of the government’s response – the so-called “test, track and trace” strategy designed to further suppress the spread of the disease by isolating new cases.

However, scientific and medical experts have indicated the current infection rate will have to come down further before such tactics can be effective.

UN poverty expert slams UK’s ‘utterly hypocritical’ virus response 

Philip Alston, the United Nations’ poverty expert, has fiercely criticised the UK’s response to coronavirus as “utterly hypocritical” after years of cuts to public services.

Alston, who has previously attacked the government’s implementation of austerity measures, told the Guardian: “my thoughts of course hark back to the sense of how utterly hypocritical it is now to abandon ‘austerity’ with such alacrity, after all the harm and misery caused to individuals and the fatal weakening of the community’s capacity to cope and respond over the past 10 years.

“And of course, many of the worst and most damaging aspects of ‘austerity’ cannot and will not be undone. The damage caused to community cohesion and to the social infrastructure are likely to prove permanent.”

He added that around the world “the most vulnerable have been short-changed or excluded” by responses to the virus, which has now claimed more than 20,000 lives in the UK and 200,000 globally. 

Alongside a warning that the crisis could force half a billion people into poverty, Alston said some policies had reflected a philosophy of “social Darwinism… that prioritises the economic interests of the wealthiest while doing little for those who are hard at work providing essential services or unable to support themselves.” 

Calls for urgent action on domestic violence as helpline calls surge by almost 50%

Domestic violence support services need urgent emergency funding amid “alarming” signs of a rise in abuse during the coronavirus lockdown, MPs have said.

The Commons home affairs committee warned that without urgent action “we will be dealing with serious consequences for a generation”.

Calls to Refuge increased by 49% in the week leading up to April 15 compared to the average prior to the pandemic, the committee found.

And visits to the charity’s website trebled in March compared with the same month last year in a worrying sign that the lockdown could be trapping victims and leading to more abuse.

The Men’s Advice Line meanwhile saw a 16.6% increase in calls and research by Counting Dead Women has calculated that at least 16 domestic abuse killings took place between March 23 and April 12, double that of an average 21 day period in the  previous decade.