One said: “It is going to be back to the diplomatic drawing board after this. Rethink is an understatement.”

The second unnamed official said “there has to be a reckoning when this is over,” while the third said “the anger goes right to the top”.

The newspaper adds that Johnson’s government is so angry with China’s handling of the crisis that the prime minister could abandon his previous decision to let Chinese telecom company Huawei develop the UK’s 5G network.

Johnson angered his main ally, President Donald Trump, by giving Huawei a limited but significant role in improving the country’s infrastructure.

The Trump administration was angered by the decision and the president himself reportedly expressed his disapproval before hanging up in an “apoplectic” phone call with Johnson last month.

The decision also riled swathes of MPs in Johnson’s own Conservative party.

One Cabinet minister quoted by the Mail on Sunday said: “We can’t stand by and allow the Chinese state’s desire for secrecy to ruin the world’s economy and then come back like nothing has happened.

“We’re allowing companies like Huawei not just into our economy, but to be a crucial part of our infrastructure.


‘This needs to be reviewed urgently, as does any strategically important infrastructure that relies on Chinese supply chains.”

Johnson has written to every household in the UK urging people to continue following strict social distancing rules.

In the letter, which will reach Brits in the next few days, the prime minister, who last week tested positive for the coronavirus, says: “We know things will get worse before they get better.

“But we are making the right preparations, and the more we all follow the rules, the fewer lives will be lost and the sooner life can return to normal.”

The prime minister last week introduced a lockdown, telling people to leave their homes only for essential reasons and giving UK police the power to fine those who do not comply.

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