The justice secretary, Robert Buckland, has said that it’s “probable” that’s the 100,000 daily tests goal before the end of the month won’t be achieved.
However, he did say he thought that the goal of 100,000 tests (in total), was going to be achieved in the “next few days”.
Mr Buckland said: “We’ll have the results, I think, tomorrow. Even if we don’t hit it, and it’s probable that we won’t, we will in the next few days hit that target.
“We’re up to 52,000 people being tested, the capacity is rising.
“I think it was right to set an ambitious target.
“Sometimes even if you don’t hit the target on the due date, the direction of travel is the most important thing.”
The most recent figures show that 52,429 tests will were used on Tuesday. But NHS providers has said that the goal not being hit is a bit of a distraction, nothing more, and described it as a “red herring.”
Another week review of the lockdown rules is due on May 7th, and the PM is expected to tell the country why social distancing measures just stay for a while longer.
A Downing Street insider said: “He will give an update on the country’s fight against this disease and the steps we are taking to defeat it.”
