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But officials repeatedly refused to rule out age-based restrictions being used in the future. And Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government will do “whatever’s necessary to keep people safe”. He said: “The reports with respect to the over-50s are inaccurate and they’re speculation. But we’ll always do whatever’s necessary to keep people safe.”

Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi also described reports of age-related measures as “speculation” and “inaccurate”.

It follows reports that Mr Johnson could order doctors to offer tailored advice this autumn to anyone over 50 who is obese, overweight or in ill health, warning them they are at increased risk from Covid and advising them to stay at home during the winter in the most serious cases.

Using a grading system, those less at risk could be told to reduce social contact, shop during hours designated for those shielding, or avoid public transport.

Campaigners branded the proposals “abhorrent” and “ageist” and warned it would have a massive impact on the country’s economic recovery if older people were kept at home.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman also called the reports “inaccurate” but refused to rule out specific measures being introduced for the over-50s.

He added: “It’s certainly not something that I’m aware of. We continue to look at the best available scientific and medical advice.

“You can see our approach and you can see it in action, which is to focus on taking action at a local level.”

Government preparations for coping with a second spike in the virus have also led to fresh clashes with London’s mayor.

Labour’s Sadiq Khan wrote to the Prime Minister after it was claimed that the capital could be sealed off inside the M25 if there is a spike in infections.

The drastic measures were said to have been “war gamed” by the Prime Minister and Chancellor Rishi Sunak as they prepare for a possible winter resurgence.

Mayor Khan and the chairman of London Councils, Peter John, hit out at plans to use the M25 as a quarantine ring.

“Our surprise is that such far-reaching contingency plans have been discussed and tested without the involvement or awareness of London’s government,” they wrote.

“This is clearly totally unacceptable and an affront to London and Londoners.”

Downing Street said that the ability to impose travel restrictions had been set out in its strategy for preventing the spread of coronavirus but denied it was a plan specifically drawn up for the capital.

The Contain strategy sets out “the possibility of putting in place restrictions on travel if there is an area that is particularly badly affected”.

“One of the steps within that potentially includes closing down local transport networks,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

“It’s there, it’s contained in the document, it’s not a new thing – we have informed the public and politicians of that being a potential action that we could take.

“But, to be clear, it’s not something that is specific to London or anywhere else.”

Officials in Greater Manchester declared a major incident over rising COVID-19 infections and tougher restrictions also remain in place in other parts of the north.

But workers in the rest of the country were being encouraged to return to their offices after new guidelines came into force yesterday.

Employers can now ask their staff to head back to the workplace if they have implemented coronavirus-control measures.

Ministers hope that curbing home based working will help revive the economy after months of shutdown.

But union leaders led the charge against heading back to the office, including in Whitehall.

Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA Union, which represents managers in the civil service and public servants, accused the Government of co-opting civil servants into “virtue signalling”.

He said: “The majority of civil servants are currently working successfully from home.

“Ministers need to recognise this and allow the civil service to manage this transition, without pressure to virtue-signal for a pattern of working that has already changed for good.”

Officials said Boris Johnson will be working from No 10 and Chequers, his prime ministerial country retreat, this week.

Public and Commercial Services Union general secretary Mark Serwotka accused the Government of “playing fast and loose” with workers’ safety.

“No one should be returning to a workplace until it has been made safe to do so,” he said.

Transport union RMT criticised the Government for its mixed messaging on returning to work

Prospect, a union which represents people from a range of professions in both the public and private sectors, backed the move as long as a return to office working was “flexible and safe”.

Edwin Morgan, from the Institute of Directors, said it was hard for businesses to know “whether they’re coming or going”.

The IoD is now calling for the Government to set up a recovery fund to help small firms return to the workplace safely.

Government records show an encouraging fall in the number of people seriously ill and dying with coronavirus.

The UK recorded its lowest death rate in hospitals since the lockdown began in March at just five, all of them in England.

Daily figures show nine people in the UK died in all settings, taking the total to 46,210.

Latest data also shows the total number of patients in England on mechanical ventilation beds yesterday was 67, compared to 83 the previous Monday and 112 two weeks ago.

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