THEY SAID WHAT?

“Getting children back to school is vital for their educational development and many schools are already taking steps to welcome back their pupils. I am grateful for their support”

- Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, above, who wants some pupils to return to the classroom from June 1 in England

“Our guiding principle is that schools can only reopen to other pupils when it is safe to do so and not a moment before. Only once we can be sure that schools are safe for both children and staff will they be able to open to more children. The safety of your child, and of our staff, is our top priority”

- Steve Reddy of Liverpool City Council, is writing to parents to warn them not to expect schools to reopen for everyone on June 1 in England

“We had clear guidance that we were giving to care homes at that point in time. At that early stage in March we had very, very low levels of death and spread of the virus and we were giving guidance to care homes around isolation for those patients who required it in terms of having symptoms from the virus”

- Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis defends guidance that said it was “very unlikely” residents would become infected with coronavirus

“I think this is the first time since I’ve been on the job where I desperately wanted to win, and the worst thing about competition is that it can bring the worst out in me”

- Former cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff admits he felt his competitive side return during filming for the upcoming series of Top Gear