Stephen Barclay tells Robert Peston 'key is delaying infection rate' over coronavirus outbreak

Conservative MP Stephen Barclay has told ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston "the key is delaying the infection rate" over the coronavirus outbreak.

His comments came after the covid-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

Speaking on ITV's Peston Show, the former Brexit Secretary said: "The key is delaying the infection rate, people following advice, the classic one, Robert, as you know washing your hands for 20 seconds, following that, and following the advice so we have a scientific-driven approach."

When asked by Peston, in light of Tory MP Nadine Dorries being diagnosed with coronavirus, whether his colleagues including Matt Hancock and the prime minister had been tested for covid-19, Mr Barclay said they hadn't.

Mr Barclay told Peston: "It’s following the advice and what the guidance is, and Public Health England are looking at who had contact with Nadine and where there are issues, I’m following that up."

"So again as with all of our approach within government, the same in parliament where the speaker obviously leads on this, it’s following the scientific advice and ensuring what we do is guided by that," he added.

Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, Tobias Ellwood and Labour MP for Wirral South, Alison McGovern have both called for more testing on coronavirus.

Meanwhile Poppy Trowbridge, a former government special advisor, told ITV's Peston said the UK won't need to to follow in Italy's footsteps to lockdown almost all commercial activity except for pharmacies and supermarkets.

Former Chancellor Alastair Darling was asked how the coronavirus crisis compared with the 2008 financial crisis and said "the problem is quite different".

He told Peston: "I think there’s one big difference which we all should keep in the front of our minds.

"Back in 2008, we could see what the problem was with the fracture to the banking system, the financial system, we could see what we need to do to fix it and we did fix it, was difficult it was politically difficult as well as being very expensive.

"But the problem was there and it could be solved.

"Today, the problem is quite different - we are by no means clear as to the extent of the spread of this virus, you can see in the figures that are coming out every day that it is still spreading, and so unless and until the government is able to get control of what is happening and to assure people that is now under control, that we are doing, that things can move on."

When asked by Peston about Rishi Sunak's announcements on infrastructure spending in the Budget, he said: "Let me tell you, the easiest thing to do is to announce these things, the really difficult bit is actually to deliver them.

He added: "Now, I’ll give you two examples, the Chancellor today made a great show of building a new road past Stonehenge in the South of England.

"Well, I distinctly remember announcing that nearly 20-years ago and it's still not built."