UK coronavirus news LIVE: Boris Johnson accused of failing to heed social distancing advice as Ireland enforces 'stay at home' rules

Boris Johnson failed to "practise what he preached" and adopted a business-as-usual approach to governing despite putting the rest of the UK on lockdown, a scientist has said.

Professor Susan Michie, director of University College London’s centre for behaviour change, made the comments after Cabinet minister Michael Gove declined to be drawn on whether ministers had been too slow when it came to social distancing.

Mr Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock have both tested positive for the virus on a day that saw the UK's biggest day-on-day rise in deaths since the coronavirus outbreak began.​

Meanwhile, NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said NHS staff would start being tested for coronavirus from next week , as the number of cases globally hit half a million.

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