LONDON 19 Apr (ANA) - Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove refused to confirm the government sent 279,000 items of PPE to China, despite Number 10 confirming the story weeks ago.

In fact, as the Mirror reported in February, the figure was closer to 650,000.

Mr Gove admitted the government had played a part in the "international" response to Coronavirus, which included China. 

But he refused to be drawn on details of a story in today's Sunday Times - saying "one or two" aspects of it were "off beam."

In fact, Downing Street had already confirmed the claim that hundreds of thousands of items from the UK's depleted PPE stockpile were shipped to China as the Government apparently failed to recognise the risk posed to the UK by the pandemic.

On February 24, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We have supplied them with 1,800 goggles, 430,000 disposable gloves, 194,000 sanitising wipes, 37,500 medical gowns and 2,500 facemasks."

Asked how Mr Johnson was doing by Sky's Sophy Ridge, Mr Gove said: "The Prime Minister is recovering well. He's in cheerful spirits.

"He had the opportunity to talk to Dominic Raab, his deputy, the First Secretary of State on Friday. 

"And the PM's instructions to the rest of us in government were communicated by the First Secretary of State when we had a conference call yesterday morning."(ANA)

FA/ANA/19 April 2020-------