secretary

When the former education secretary, Gavin Williamson, was asked questions about this last week, he said government policy was to keep schools open and all the key decisions were being taken within Number 10.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick had earlier said: "It's about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life."

“The risks from these operations are unusually large,” said Brad Setser, a former deputy assistant Treasury secretary for the Obama administration.

Mark Drakeford, who as finance secretary is in charge of the budget process, ruled out totally scrapping the tax but is open to amending it.

The defence secretary also warned of a "new era of threat" and said the risk of wider conflict in Europe has not been as great since the end of World War Two.