Will the government fail to meet virus testing targets?

A cabinet minister has admitted that the UK government will miss its target of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests by the end of the month.

The justice secretary, Robert Buckland, tolld BBC Breakfast: “Even if it [the target] isn’t met, we’re well on our way to ramping this up and 100,000 is an important milestone, but frankly we need more.

He added: “Yes, 52,000 isn’t 100,000, I know that … but we are straining every sinew to get there… If he [Hancock] hadn’t set a target he would have been criticised for being unambitious. I think now is the time in respect of this to be bold … being brave, I think, is something we should acknowledge even if the target isn’t met today.”

It comes after , the health secretary, Matt Hancock, pledged the country would be conducting the tests by the end of April but, with only 52,429 carried out in the 24 hours to yesterday.

Just 52,429 tests were carried out in the UK in the 24 hours to yesterday, on 33,455 people.