In yesterday's government coronavirus briefing Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove said there had been 1,206,405 coronavirus tests in the UK as of 9am on Sunday May 3, including 76,496 in the previous 24 hours.

In other news:

  • A former Government chief scientific adviser has assembled a group of experts to look at how the UK could work its way out of coronavirus lockdown. Sir David King, who worked under former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, reportedly said the group was designed to act as an alternative to the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
  • Almost half of doctors have sourced their own personal protective equipment or relied on a donation when none was available through normal NHS channels, according to a survey. The British Medical Association said, while PPE supplies have improved, their data from more than 16,000 doctors shows there is room for improvement in protecting healthcare workers on the frontline.
  • Boris Johnson has revealed doctors prepared to announce his death as he battled coronavirus in hospital last month. The Prime Minister spent three nights in intensive care at St Thomas' in London with the disease, where he said medics gave him, "litres and litres of oxygen".
  • The impact of the coronavirus lockdown on UK pupils whose mother tongue is not English is to be the subject of a study. Academics are to carry out the British Isles-wide investigation amid concern that school closures may harm their learning of the language.
  • A further three-day mobile unit to test for coronavirus has been set up in the car park at an edge of town retail centre in County Durham. The military and NHS England have teamed up to open and run the facility at Dalton Park, Murton, to provide testing for essential workers and the vulnerable.
  • The people of the UK are being urged to unite in “raising a glass” to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day, on Friday. Dubbed ‘The Nation's Toast to the Heroes of World War Two’, it will replace the many planned events to mark the occasion, blighted by the lockdown and social distancing in force during the coronavirus crisis.
  • Sir Michael Palin has encouraged people to embrace learning about their own country in the future as the coronavirus pandemic restricts foreign travel. The Monty Python star, who will be 77 on Tuesday, suggested that until a Covid-19 vaccine was found, people would not be jumping on planes to holiday around the world.
  • Council officials have praised Hartlepool United FC for supporting their efforts to care for the town’s most vulnerable residents during the coronavirus emergency. Two vehicles - and two drivers - provided by the club are being used to make deliveries of hot and cold food from the Hartlepool Support Hub.
  • Businesses could be asked to stagger employees’ working hours when the lockdown eases, the Transport Secretary said today. Grant Shapps told the BBC that the move would help to prevent crowded commutes that risk the spread of coronavirus.
  • NHS England has announced 327 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 21,180.