The online portal is due to launch on Monday 20 April with 9,000 HMRC customer service agents deployed to man the phone lines when the service goes live at 0800.

Following on from the government's decision yesterday to extend the lockdown to Thursday 7 May, effectively forcing people to remain at home except for essential journeys and to buy provisions, partake of an hour's exercise a day and look after vulnerable relatives, as well as observe the two-metre social distancing measures.