Chinese officials have been criticised for concealing the breadth of the epidemic

Downing Street has removed China from a list of international comparisons for the spread of the coronavirus amid concerns over the accuracy of the country’s figures.

Until Thursday China was one of nine nations included in a “global death comparison” published by No 10 as part of its daily press conference. The data suggested that there were fewer deaths in China than in most other countries.

China reported only 12 new cases of the virus yesterday, 11 of which were imported from abroad, and no new deaths. The country’s official death toll currently stands at 4,632, much lower than the UK’s figure of 19,506.

Some Conservative MPs are concerned that inaccurate data from China, which is used to gauge the success of Britain’s response,