Francis Crick Institute chief urges Boris Johnson to overrule control-freak public health chiefs

Boris Johnson is facing demands to overrule control-freak health chiefs today amid warnings 'time is running out' to scale up coronavirus testing.

Sir Paul Nurse, chief executive of the Francis Crick Institute, urged the PM to summon the Dunkirk spirit and let 'small ship' labs start screening for the killer disease.

Delivering a damning verdict on government's strategy and lack of 'preparation', he warned the country was 'running out of time' to get on top of the outbreak and capacity at research facilities was 'agile' enough to get round shortages of chemicals.

The comments came amid signs ministers are finally changing tack over the testing regime, after weeks in which Public Health England (PHE) insisted all screening should be carried out centrally.

The approach is intended to ensure that checks are conducted properly - but contrasts sharply with the decentralised tactics deployed successfully in countries like Germany. They are carrying out 50,000 tests a day compared to barely 10,000 in the UK. 

Only around 2,000 NHS staff have been tested despite fears tens of thousands are off work unnecessarily, with confusion as some drive-through 'swab sites' were packed yesterday but others deserted. 
 

In a video released from his self-isolation in Downing Street last night, Boris Johnson admitted mass testing was the solution to the 'puzzle'. 'This is how we will defeat it in the end,' he said.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock - who has finished quarantine after contracting coronavirus himself - issued a 'rallying cry' to industry to help tackle the testing crisis.

However, there is already a blame game under way within government over the failure to scale up the testing regime - with the PHE insisting it has 'played our part'.

On another tumultuous day of coronavirus developments:  

• Business groups say firms have 'furloughed' half of their staff with concerns the government's bailout will need to be massively bigger than thought; 
• Overdraft customers will be able to request zero-interest buffers of up to £500 over three months to help ease the financial impact of coronavirus, under new proposals from the City regulator; 
•  The ONS has revealed costs of cough and cold medication have risen by nearly 11 per cent over the last fortnight, amid fears of profiteering;

MailOnline