BORIS Johnson has played down the prospect of a second national coronavirus lockdown, claiming he did not want to use it any more than Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent.

The Prime Minister said the authorities were getting better at identifying and isolating local outbreaks, although it was important that the power to order national action was held in reserve.

“I can’t abandon that tool any more than I would abandon a nuclear deterrent. But it is like a nuclear deterrent, I certainly don’t want to use it. And nor do I think we will be in that position again,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.

His comments could lead to further tensions between ministers and their scientific experts after Sir Patrick Vallance warned there was “a risk” that national measures could be needed as winter approaches.

Announcing more lockdown easing in England, Johnson said on Friday he hoped there could be a “significant return to normality” by Christmas. At the same time, he said the Government had given councils new powers to close specific premises, shut outdoor spaces and cancel events.

Johnson said: “It’s not just that we’re getting much better at spotting the disease and isolating it locally, but we understand far more which groups it affects, how it works, how it’s transmitted, so the possibility of different types of segmentation, of enhanced shielding for particular groups, is now there.”

“We’re genuinely able now to look at what’s happening in much closer to real time, to isolate outbreaks and to address them on the spot, and to work with local authorities to contain the problem locally and regionally if we have to.”

The Prime Minister also confirmed he was looking at reform of the Civil Service in the wake of the announcement that Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill is stepping down. “Maybe there are ways in which we can all learn together to do things faster, to have a real spirit of ‘can do’,” he said.