UK DAY OF DEATH

will produce the same number today and tomorrow, rising to 1,000 a day next week.”

Mr Gove said that the new Nightingale Hospital at

London’s Excel centre can treat 500 patients on ventilators.

More field hospitals are being built in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, Harrogate and Manchester.

Mr Gove said the NHS and the military are “accelerating their existing work” to turn Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre into a field hospital due to the rise in infections in the region.

Professor Powis also used the conference to condemn people who have set fire to mobile phone masts because they believe bizarre fake news that the 5G signal is linked to the spread of coronavirus. Masts in Sparkhill, Birmingham, and Melling, Merseyside, were set alight last week.

Prof Powis said: “The 5G story is complete and utter rubbish. It’s nonsense.

“It’s the worst kind of fake news.the reality is that the mobile networks are critical to all of us but particularly in a time when we are asking people to stay at home and to not see relatives and friends...

“These are also the networks used by our emergency services and our health workers, and I am absolutely outraged – absolutely disgusted – that people would be taking action against the very infrastructure that we need to respond to this health emergency.” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden will speak with representatives of some of the world’s biggest social networking companies to discuss how the circulation of these false stories about the threat of 5G can be stopped.

Earlier, Downing Street said that good progress is being made in getting NHS workers protective equipment with a 24-hour hotline available to ensure it was delivered.

And it confirmed that Mr Johnson had spoken to Sir Keir Starmer in a “very cordial and positive” conversation but denied suggestions they had waited for Mr Corbyn to go before extending an invitation to other party leaders to join the coronavirus meetings.

A Downing Street source said: “Obviously, the fact that there is now a new leader who is in place for the foreseeable amount of time is the right time to ask all Opposition leaders to work with us.

“This offer is one briefing. I think in terms of doing more we’ll review that as and when but obviously we’re keen for all parties to work with us.

“We want to do all we can to make sure that everyone in Parliament is working towards the same goal here.”