SIX Tory donors have urged Boris Johnson to ease the lockdown.
The Prime Minister returns to work tomorrow, but is already facing demands from his wealthy backers to get the economy back to normal.
These include billionaires Peter Hargreaves, Michael Spencer and Phones4u founder John Caudwell.
Mr Spencer told The Times: “We should start loosening up [the lockdown] as soon as we reasonably can and allow the economy to start moving forward.
“We should really begin to offer a narrative of how and when it’s going to stop.”
Steve Morgan, the former boss of the housebuilder Redrow, said: “We’re actually in danger that the medicine — if you want to call the lockdown that — is more harmful than the cure.
“I’m strongly in favour of getting the country back to work. This is not about profit; this is about saving the country from going bankrupt, from mass unemployment, from businesses going bust, people losing their livelihoods and homes.”
Millionaire banker Sir Henry Angest and restaurateur Richard Caring also called for a loosening of restrictions.
The cabinet is currently split into “doves and hawks” over how and when to end the UK-wide lockdown.
Some ministers are said to be against ending the lockdown to early to avoid a second wave, while others want to lift it to avoid a bigger economic crisis.
Today three unnamed ministers warned the lockdown had to go soon.
One said: “I don’t think the public will be able to take much more of this.”
A second added: “I don’t know anyone in the cabinet who doesn’t want the lockdown eased as soon as possible. If the public are beginning to give up on it, then nobody wants to see it enforced through compulsion rather than consent.”
A third cabinet said: “I do not think waiting for hospital deaths to get to near zero is the answer.”
This morning an expert warned the UK could see 100,000 deaths if the lockdown is lifted too soon.
Professor Neil Ferguson claimed it would be impossible to send some people back to work without seeing a huge increase in deaths.
