Boris Johnson declares ‘war’ on coronavirus

This is a government on a wartime footing: a government calling for a collective national effort as Boris Johnson would do ‘whatever it takes’ – warning of even more extreme measures to come.

While the Chancellor Rishi Sunak promised a £330 billion package of Government backed loans and guarantees along with cash grants for smaller firms – promising that if demand was greater, it would be met.

The Prime Minister insisted the government – and society – was there to ‘look after people, thick and thin’.