Ministers are “treating the public like children” by refusing to discuss options to ease the lockdown, senior Tory MPs said last night, as pressure grew to spell out details of how the restrictions could end.

Alok Sharma, the business secretary, became the latest senior minister to reject calls for more clarity, saying at the daily press conference that public discussion of options risked “muddying the waters”.

However, other cabinet ministers privately agree with critics who say they risk losing public consent unless they match a commitment given by Nicola Sturgeon to treat “the public like grown-ups”. Scotland’s first minister says she will lay out a “decision-making framework” next week.

Although ministers insist that public discussion risks undermining the “stay at home” message, their silence reflects