BORIS Johnson has promised to protect private renters from eviction due to the coronavirus crisis as he told MPs the UK Government was overseeing steps that were "unprecedented in peacetime and unprecedented in the last century".

The Prime Minister said further measures would be introduced to protect the vulnerable and those who face job losses. And there was a hint that school closures in England might not be far off; a decision could possibly even come today at his Downing St press conference this afternoon.

Stressing how the Government wanted to remove the burdens on the education system, Mr Johnson told MPs: “The House should expect further decisions to be taken imminently on schools and how we ensure we square the circle both of making sure we stop the spread of the disease but also of making sure we relieve as much as we can pressure on our NHS.”

Under questioning from Jeremy Corbyn, who insisted people should be tested for coronavirus on “an industrial scale,” the PM at first said that the Government was doubling the daily tests from 5,000 to 10,000. When the Labour leader insisted this was not enough given the potential scale of the pandemic, Mr Johnson revealed that the tests would be moving to 25,000 a day.

Earlier, Mr Corbyn stressed how the Chancellor had “unfortunately offered nothing to the 20 million people living in rented homes, including three million households with children”.

The Labour leader said they were worried sick that they could not pay their rent if they got ill, lost pay or felt the need to self-isolate.

"It is in the interests of public health, of the health of all of us, that people don't feel forced to go to work in order to avoid eviction when they know themselves they may be spreading this terrible disease.

"So, will the Prime Minister now confirm that the Government's emergency legislation will protect private renters from eviction?" asked Mr Corbyn.

The PM replied: "I can indeed confirm that we will be bringing forward legislation to protect private renters from eviction, that is one thing we will do, but it is also important as we legislate that we do not simply pass on the problem, so we'll also be taking steps to protect other actors in the economy."

Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan, an A&E doctor, said her NHS colleagues were "already stressed" with the pressure they were facing, adding: "Last night I visited my father in a care home and I'm acutely aware I may have fed him for the very last time.

"We are in unprecedented times. I would like to know where was the forward-planning for Personal Protection Equipment for our NHS and care staff? Where is the testing for medics? Why are we waiting so long for mass testing? And why are social distancing measures merely just suggestions?

"Prime Minister, it is right that we have all put party loyalty aside to work together during this time of national crisis but we must scale up the response. Without good leadership people in this country will start to panic. There must be no more time for delay, the time to act is now," declared Ms Allin-Khan.

Mr Johnson thanked the Tooting MP for her work in the health service, adding: "We have stockpiles of PPE equipment and we're proceeding in accordance with the best scientific advice.

"It is the timeliness of those measures that is absolutely vital in combating the spread of the epidemic. That is how you save lives."