Michael Gove said there was not an “ironclad” link between the 21 June date earmarked for the next stage of the road map out of lockdown and the possible introduction of Covid status certification.

The Cabinet Office minister told MPs: “People have quite rightly linked Covid status certification to stage four. There’s no absolute necessary ironclad inviolable link between the two.

“But, naturally, as we contemplate reopening at stage four, people will understandably want to know what our approach towards certification will be and how that will operate.”

A further 10 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of today, bringing the UK total to 127,758, according to government figures.

Separate data published by the Office for National Statistics shows there have now been 153,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The government also said that, as of 9am today, there had been a further 3,542 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.

It brings the total to 4,473,677.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said the benefits of Covid status certification – so-called domestic “vaccine passports” – had to be set against the “hassle factor” of implementing them.

The UK has been examining the Israeli “green pass” model, which has recently been suspended due to the high uptake of vaccinations in the country.

Mr Gove told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee that if a similar scheme was introduced in the UK “it was always intended” to be “for a time-limited period”.

A review into the potential use of Covid status certification – which would include not only vaccine details but also whether someone has a negative test result – had been due to report this month, but that has now been delayed until after the Commons returns from a recess in the week of 7 June.

Mr Gove said there were “some significant outstanding factors” to consider.

He said the possible introduction of the passports was not necessarily linked to the next stage of the road map on 21 June at the earliest.

John Swinney has said he hopes “over time” Scotland will be able to move away from lockdowns as a way of responding to rising coronavirus cases.

During a debate in Scottish parliament on Thursday, country’s deputy first minister said he instead hopes future outbreaks can be dealt with through the Test and Protect system.

Mr Swinney, who is also Scotland’s Covid recovery secretary, said the first cross-party steering group on coronavirus recovery has already met and agreed its core priorities.

However, he remind people they still need to “do their part” by wearing face coverings, physically distancing and getting tested even if they do not have symptoms.

High numbers of cases in parts of Glasgow shows Scotland is not yet free of the virus, he added, while the so-called Indian variant shows “we must continue to be on our guard”.

The Sentencing Council has published new guidance which, as well as the above, recommends judges and magistrates should consider longer sentences or tougher penalties for people offenders whose victim is an emergency worker.

Among new advice is the move to ensure assaults resulting in physical injury, which include “deliberate spitting or coughing”, see offenders be threatened with spending up to two and a half months longer in prison, reports Samuel Osborne.

Michael Gove is currently sat before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, taking questions over the government’s desire to implement so-called coronavirus vaccine passports.

Asked by the committee’s chair, William Wragg, how long the policy had been under consideration, Mr Gove said it was no more than “a few months”.

Prompted to prove there were no “physical briefings or meetings” before that point, Mr Gove said he would “do his very best” to check before issuing those present with a reminder.

“It’s in the nature of policy advice that’s given to ministers that it should remain confidential,” Mr Gove said, adding: “It’s a longstanding principle, some disagree with it but I happen to think it’s important.”

He then reiterated his intention to “go back” and draw up as thorough a “timeline” of events as possible.

The outburst follows Joe Biden’s announcement on Wednesday that he has asked the “intelligence Community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyse information” about the origins of the Covid-19 virus, including whether it emerged from animals or from a laboratory accident.

In a statement, China’s embassy to the US said: “Lately, some people have played the old trick of political hype on the origin tracing of Covid-19 in the world.”

Covid case rates in most regions of England, and among all age groups, have risen slightly, according to the latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England.

Northwest England saw the largest rise, with 52.8 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to 23 May, up week-on-week from 39.0. The East Midlands is the only region to have seen a slight fall in rates, down from 21.7 to 21.0.

Meanwhile, the highest infections are currently among 10 to 19-year-olds, with 55.2 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to 23 May – up week-on-week from 43.5.

This is also the age group to see the biggest week-on-week increase, and it comes as the government is yet to announce plans to vaccinate everyone aged 12 and over.

Matt Hancock will lead a coronavirus press briefing today at Downing Street, alongside the head of Test and Trace Dr Jenny Harries.

The health secretary will update the nation on the pandemic, as normal, though it seems inevitable he will be bombarded with questions about claims made by Dominic Cummings over the government’s handling of coronavirus.

One wonders if viewers will see a scene similar to this one from yesterday:

Just under 4.9 million rapid tests were conducted in England in the week to 19 May, according to the latest Test and Trace figures, down 4 per cent on the previous week. This is despite all members of the public being eligible to take two rapid tests a week.

It is the fourth week in a row that the number has decreased.

Rapid tests, or lateral flow device (LFD) tests, are swab tests that give results in 30 minutes or less without the need for processing in a laboratory.

Some of these tests are conducted under supervision in settings such as schools, care homes and workplaces, but most are carried out by people in their home who are then expected to report the result.

The number of rapid tests peaked at just over 7.6 million in the week to 17 March, which coincided with the return of secondary students to school, but number fell in subsequent weeks, before rising to just under 5.8 million in the week to 21 April. Since then it has dropped every week.