After The Telegraph revealed that Public Health England has for the first time approved a test for use, Edward Argar said that the Government was working to purchase "as many" as it could for use in the UK.

It is understood that the Department of Health is now in negotiations with the Swiss healthcare company Roche to buy millions of the kits, after the accuracy of the test was given the green light by experts at PHE’s Porton Down facility last week.

The development of an accurate antibody test, which shows whether someone has recovered from the virus, has long been seen as key to helping Britain get back to work.

Keep up to date with the latest coronavirus developments with The Telegraph's live blog:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/05/14/lockdown-news-government-coronavirus-update-boris-johnson/

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