Wednesday evening news briefing: 'Impossible' journey back to work

Drivers may 'refuse to work' amid commuter surge

Today signalled the big return to work but already there is unease. Train and bus drivers have been told to "refuse to work" by their unions if they feel unsafe amid fears of a passenger surge as commuters begin to pile back onto public transport. The Government urged workers previously stuck at home because of the coronavirus pandemic to return to work from today but the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said this was ahead of the bus and train networks' schedule and that it was ill equipped to deal with the increased numbers. General secretary Mick Cash cited reports that "social distancing is impossible with Tube carriages rammed". Click here for a summary of the new guidelines for people travelling to work coming into force from today. And here is a guide to when you are within your rights to refuse to go back.

Meanwhile, there has been an exchange of tetchy letters between Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer following their latest battle in Prime Minister's Questions. Mr Johnson was asked to return to the Commons to correct the record, after Sir Keir wrote him a letter asking him to clarify comments about the danger to people in care homes from Covid-19. Michael Deacon reckons Sir Keir took the Prime Minister apart like a Duplo train set. At this evening's Downing Street press conference, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick revealed another 494 people have died after testing positive, taking the official UK death toll to 33,186. He also outlined how estate agents can reopen from today and house viewings start again in a bid to revive the property industry.

Dilemma of warnings on pay freezes and slow recovery

Union bosses have urged Boris Johnson to "step away" from proposals to freeze public sector pay, after a Treasury document estimated the UK's deficit could reach £337 billion this year. The paper, seen exclusively by The Telegraph, warned that the measure could be required to fill the gap in the country's finances. Unions have said that freeze would be a "deep and damaging betrayal" of nurses, paramedics and refuse collectors that are "on the frontline" of the fight against coronavirus. Read on for details. Meanwhile, the UK's chief statistician has warned a long, drawn-out economic recovery will lead to a "significant number" of indirect deaths from Covid-19. Sir Ian Diamond said the effects of the pandemic would be far-reaching as people are "pushed into poverty". Read on here while Tom Rees explains why hopes of V-shaped recovery are fading fast.

EU's plan to give 'people confidence to travel again'

The European Union has unveiled a plan to ease coronavirus restrictions on borders and help resurrect tourism, in an attempt to salvage summer holidays for millions of people. The European Commission has outlined health measures for hotels and guidance about how airlines, ferries and buses can run while ensuring the safety of passengers and crew. It aims to give "people confidence to travel again". Yet it comes as the Transport Secretary urged Britons to use their common sense when deciding on whether to book a foreign holiday later this year. Grant Shapps hinted holidaymakers could lose their cash, or find it hard to get refunds if they did book a summer break. Yet there is at least one tourist hotspot in England striking an embracing tone to potential visitors.

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At a glance: More coronavirus headlines

• Social distancing | Police have no powers to enforce two-metre rule

• US deaths | New model predicts 147,000 Americans will die by August

• New outbreak | South Korea scrambles to trace revellers in cluster

• Future of the office | What could the modern workplace look like?

• Coronavirus positive | Good news round-up – World's oldest survivor

Comment and analysis

• John Longworth | Get a grip, we can't stay in state lockdown forever

• Con Coughlin | China is using the coronavirus to bully Europe

• Ross Clark | We can no longer ignore excess deaths from lockdown

• Sam Brodbeck | There's a child-sized hole in the back-to-work plan

• Jan Etherington | We need dogs more than ever in a crisis like this

You Are Not Alone - Surviving coronavirus lockdown

1. Was it a good idea? | 'We bought a house during lockdown without seeing it first'

2. Garden centres are go! | The three things you should buy first, according to the experts

3. Grey list | Will celebrities' 'au naturel' lockdown selfies change ideas about beauty?

Business and money briefing

Tui axes jobs | Travel company Tui is set to cut up to 8,000 jobs worldwide as the tourism industry faces its "greatest ever crisis" and the firm seeks to reduce costs to adapt to a shrunken travel market. The FTSE 250 business said it was looking to offer more local holidays in the hope of saving some of its summer season. Read on for details.

• Property market | Lockdown rules eased for home buyers and sellers

• Tax tricks | How to save money as stocks and house prices fall

• On top of markets | Live stocks and shares updates 24 hours a day

Video: Police help boy deliver PPE to grandmother

A 12-year-old boy in Northamptonshire has been helped by local police to deliver homemade PPE to his grandmother who lives in a care home in Wiltshire. Cameron Douglas made the personal protective equipment on his 3D printer, bought with his own pocket money. Read on here.

Also in the news today

Gerry Adams wins appeal | Gerry Adams' historic convictions for attempting to escape from the Maze Prison in the 1970s have been overturned by the UK's highest court after it ruled that his detention was unlawful. The former Sinn Fein leader claimed his two 1975 convictions were unsafe because his detention was not "personally considered" by a senior government minister. Read on for the Supreme Court's ruling.

• Israel talks | Pompeo meets Netanyahu for discussions on West Bank

• Emmerdale tours | Council rejects ITV's bid for more coach trips

• Michael Portillo | We have no-right to a one-sided view of Empire

• 'Decoy nests' | How Mother sea turtles protect their eggs revealed

• Rock history | Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged guitar up for sale

World news: The one story you must read today...

Merkel hacking row | German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced frustration that Russia was targeting her in hacking action, saying she had concrete proof of the "outrageous" spying attempts. Germany's intelligence service has repeatedly called out attempts by Russian hackers to spy on lawmakers or leading politicians. Read on for details.

Tonight's TV

The Country that Beat the Virus: What Can Britain Learn? Channel 4, 9pm | Channel 4's latest Covid-19 documentary should probably come with its own health warning: watching this may make you furious. Read on for more.

And finally... for this evening's downtime

How LSD ruined rock | In the documentary film Have A Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics, released this week on Netflix, comedian Lewis Black remembers taking acid at a party. As his mind ascended into the ether, Black discovered that he was unable to recall his own name. The celebrity-packed documentary tries to make psychedelic drugs look fun but the history of rock is full of very bad trips.