David Cameron is coming under increased pressure over his lobbying for the failed finance firm Greensill, after it emerged that he pushed the company’s case with Downing Street and health secretary Matt Hancock, writes Andrew Woodcock.

Labour today demanded a ministerial statement to parliament on the extent of Mr Cameron’s efforts to exert influence within government on behalf of the company, as well as a National Audit Office inquiry into why Greensill was given access to a Treasury coronavirus support scheme offering government-backed loans of up to £50m.

The supply chain finance company was rejected for the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) despite Mr Cameron repeatedly sending private texts to chancellor Rishi Sunak pleading for the scheme to be amended so Greensill could qualify.

Allowing shops and other amenities to reopen too soon could spark a third wave of Covid-19 infections, the government has been told.

Parts of England still have high infection rates, and “we need to tackle that issue urgently or the virus will come back again”, Stephen Griffin, of Leeds University medical school, told The Observer.

And Lawrence Young, from Warwick medical school, told the paper a system for helping people self-isolate was vital. That is something critics of the government have been saying for months.

He said: “The test, trace and isolate system that is supposed to contain outbreaks has not worked well, and even when people test positive, they are not isolating.

“We need a properly funded system for quarantining infected people. We don’t have that and that raises the risk we could head back into trouble again quite quickly.”

Shoppers must do their bit to keep staff safe when non-essential retail reopens tomorrow, an industry body has said.

They should stick to coronavirus safety rules and not overreact when asked to comply, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Consumers appear to be more confident about visiting shops, showing that the safety measures put in place are clearly helping to make shoppers feel more comfortable visiting and returning to stores.

“Savings have been building up over lockdown, and the economic recovery relies on retailers being able to unlock the pent-up demand in the economy.”

The BRC and union Usdaw are asking people to help keep the roadmap out of lockdown on track.

Ms Dickinson added: “Retailers are ready and are looking forward to welcoming people back into stores.

“Hopefully, things will start to get back to normal soon, but for now we need to be cautious and to look out for each other.

“We all need to play our part to keep ourselves, our fellow customers, and hardworking retail colleagues safe, so we are asking people to stick to the rules and not to overreact if someone asks you to wear a face covering or follow safety instructions when you’re out shopping.”

Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, said: “The reopening of stores on Monday offers a lifeline for many retailers, which helps to safeguard jobs, but the virus is still out there.

“We expect employers to follow the agreed guidance and ensure that customers are fully informed of the necessary safety measures.

“Shoppers need to play their part in helping to limit the spread of the virus and avoid further lockdowns by following the rules and respecting staff.”