A SERIES of wealthy Tory backers have urged the UK Government to begin loosening lockdown restrictions.
The donors, who have given millions of pounds to the party coffers, want controls to be lifted to kick-start the economy.
Billionaire financiers Michael Spencer and Peter Hargreaves, as well as banker Sir Henry Angest, Phones4u founder John Caudwell and restaurateur Richard Caring, all told The Sunday Times they wanted to see some re-opening of the economy.
Steve Morgan, the former boss of the housebuilder Redrow, told the paper: "We're actually in danger that the medicine – if you want to call the lockdown that – is more harmful than the cure.
"I'm strongly in favour of getting the country back to work. This is not about profit; this is about saving the country from going bankrupt, from mass unemployment, from businesses going bust, people losing their livelihoods and homes."
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In contrast, Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies – which has been helping shape the UK Government's response, warned any relaxation risked an upsurge of new cases.
"The strategy behind plans to lift the lockdown is based on the idea [that] you could then control the epidemic by testing people for infections before tracing their contacts," he told The Observer.
"However, if we lifted the lockdown now, the testing and tracing system would be overwhelmed. We will have to get case numbers down a lot lower than they are now before we can think of lifting current regulations."
Dominic Raab, who has been standing in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he recovers from Covid-19, said the Government would proceed "cautiously" in order to avoid a second peak in the outbreak.
"We are at a delicate and dangerous stage," he told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme.
"We need to make sure that the next steps are sure-footed, which is why we are proceeding very cautiously and we are sticking to the scientific advice with the social-distancing measures at this time, whilst doing all the homework to make sure that we are prepared in due course for the next phase."
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