A coronavirus antibody test kit has been approved by Public Health England (PHE), The Telegraph has learned, in a breakthrough that could be key to easing the UK’s lockdown restrictions.

The Telegraph understands that the Department of Health is in negotiations with the Swiss healthcare company Roche to buy millions of the kits.

The accuracy of the test was given approval by experts at PHE’s Porton Down facility last week.

On Wednesday night, Roche said it stood ready to provide hundreds of thousands of laboratory-based tests to the NHS each week. A Government source said: “We want to get our hands on as many of these as possible.”

The development of an accurate antibody test has long been seen as key to helping Britain get back to work, with Boris Johnson having previously described such tests as “game-changing”….