Britain is facing highest coronavirus death rate in Europe

Prof Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust and a pandemics expert on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the figures of almost 1,000 daily deaths showed the UK was in a similar situation to other European countries that have been badly affected.

Asked whether the UK could be the worst hit, Farrar told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “It is possible. Numbers in the UK have continued to go up. I do hope that we are coming close to the numbers reducing. But yes, the UK is likely to be certainly one of the worst, if not the worst affected country in Europe.”