UK Edition
Exclusive: Boris Johnson back at the controls on Monday amid Cabinet disquiet over lockdown
PM back to reassert control over coronavirus crisis, with public disenchantment growing after more than a month in lockdown
Boris Johnson is planning to return to Number 10 as early as Monday to take back control of the coronavirus crisis amid Cabinet concerns that the lockdown has gone too far.
The Prime Minister has told aides to schedule catch-up meetings with individual Cabinet ministers next week in order to get fully up to speed.
He will return at a critical time, with Britain more than a month into its coronavirus lockdown and ministers relying on him to inject fresh impetus into plans for an exit strategy.
Senior Cabinet ministers are concerned that a prolonged shutdown will lead to tens of thousands of companies collapsing and inflict irreparable damage on the economy.
There are clear signs that businesses and the public are growing tired of the lockdown, with increasing numbers of firms reopening and car use on the rise.
The pressure to set out a route out of lockdown grew on Thursday as Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, revealed Scotland's plans for dealing with the virus, having said politicians should treat the public like grown-ups.
Ms Sturgeon said Scotland must prepare for multiple lockdowns being reimposed "with little notice" for at least the rest of this year, adding that the "horrendous reality" was that people needed to brace themselves for repeated cycles of infection.
So far, all four parts of the UK have acted in tandem, and Ms Sturgeon – who attends coronavirus response meetings of the Cobra emergency committee – has frequently announced UK-wide policies before Westminster confirms them.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, spoke to the mayors of major cities on Thursday to agree details of the country's exit from lockdown, which will begin on May 11. Other countries, including Germany, Austria and the US, have also provided the public with details of what to expect next.
Allies of Mr Johnson said he was "determined" to return to Downing Street next week from Chequers, where he has been recuperating since being released from hospital on April 12.
One source said: "He's not the sort of person who is very good at doing nothing. In truth, he has been working pretty much full time for the past week. The fact that he had a telephone audience with the Queen on Wednesday night shows you that he considers himself to be fit for duty."
Mr Johnson has spent the past week increasing his workload in readiness for a return to Westminster.
He is speaking to Dominic Raab, his stand-in, on an almost daily basis, holds daily meetings with his political team, demands Government papers and has also been following parliamentary proceedings – including Sir Keir Starmer's first Prime Minister's Question appearance as leader of the Opposition – as well as speaking to Donald Trump to discuss coronavirus and a UK-US trade deal.
Ministers have been told to be ready for Mr Johnson to be back at work on Monday, though Downing Street insisted no final decision had been made and said he would take his medical advice into account.
The Prime Minister is expected to chair a Cabinet meeting next week, and senior Tories hope he will provide the country with the clarity that has been lacking on the exit strategy.
Mr Raab, Priti Patel, Liz Truss, Robert Jenrick and Rishi Sunak are understood to be among the strongest advocates for getting the economy going again.
Ministers and scientists agree that the peak of the coronavirus happened weeks ago and, with around half of NHS beds now empty, many MPs feel the lockdown is becoming harder to justify.
One source complained on Thursday that "keeping the lockdown going is against the interests of every department apart from health".
Senior members of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories have also stressed to ministers that there is a "balance to be struck" between protecting the NHS and the economy.
A senior source said: "Our problem we've got is there is no leadership at the moment. You're getting factions because Boris is not back. The majority of the Cabinet are in favour of getting a plan going."
A minister said: "It's a very difficult position to defend, which is why I suspect that Nicola Sturgeon has gone ahead of them to steal a march. The sensible thing to do is be honest about it. People are not kids."
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the treasurer of the 1922 Committee, said: "Unless we start to implement a step-by-step relaxation of the lockdown, I think we are going to see a large number of small businesses going bankrupt … that's tens of thousands of people's livelihoods at stake."
Mr Hancock, hosting the daily Downing Street press briefing, refused to say whether Ms Sturgeon's plan would apply to the rest of the country.