On Wednesday (5 January), Boris Johnson announced that pre-departure tests for arrivals would be ditched and Day 2 PCR tests would be replaced by antigen tests.

However, according to The Times, the health secretary was "strongly opposed" to the move, and told the government’s Covid operations committee that relaxing the Day 2 testing standard "would limit the government’s ability to detect future mutant strains".

Citing a government source, the paper reported: "Sajid was very unhappy about the decision to remove the requirement for PCR tests. He argued they are instrumental in spotting new variants sooner.

"He said that by scrapping them you increase the risk of having to shut down the entire economy. But he lost the argument."

By contrast, The Times also reported Javid’s cabinet colleague – transport secretary Grant Shapps – was in favour of the move, with Shapps stressing the aviation industry would suffer further harm if the rules were not changed.

He also said ministers could eventually go further and scrap all Covid testing for vaccinated passengers, the paper reports. "I think I could see a world in which you didn’t need to do testing at all," The Times reported Shapps as saying.

"I do imagine we will, for the foreseeable future, be living in a world where vaccination status is something that countries are looking for."

Javid’s comments come in some contrast to his previous stance, where he has repeatedly promised travel curbs will not remain in place for a moment longer than the government consider necessary.