'There are no plans to do that': No 10 slaps down Home Secretary Priti Patel after she calls for UK borders to be CLOSED to stop new coronavirus cases being imported from worldwide hotspots like Italy and Iran

• UK-bound flights from New York, Tehran, Rome and Beijing all took off yesterday
• Priti Patel says flights from virus hotspots should not be allowed into the country
• PM's spokesman: 'There is no evidence closing borders would have an effect'
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?

Boris Johnson today distanced himself from Home Secretary Priti Patel after she called for the UK borders's to be closed to stop people arriving from coronavirus hotspots.

Downing Street said it was not seeking to seal up Britain's borders in the midst of the pandemic, despite the hardline measure being taken by other nations.

Mrs Patel believes flights from virus hotspots should not be allowed when the country is on lockdown to prevent its spread, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The Home Secretary is seeking support for her plans to stop passengers being able to fly in to the UK from countries with high levels of infections such as Iran, the US and China. 

But the Prime Minister's official spokesman today said there were 'no plans to do that'. 

He told reporters; 'The level of inward travel into the UK has fallen greatly since the outbreak of the virus and we have seen many transport providers reduce their services. 

'The chief medical officer has said that there is no evidence that closing borders would have an effect on the spread of infection. 

'Separately we are doing everything we can to help British nationals overseas return to the UK. 

'As part of this we are working with airlines and other companies to keep travel routes open in order to do this.' 

Such a move might lead to tit-for-tat measures at a time when almost a million Britons stuck abroad are trying to get back to the UK.

The lack of a travel ban in the UK is in stark contrast to policies in the EU and the US, which have closed their borders to travellers from many other countries.

Flights headed to the UK from New York, Tehran, Rome and Beijing all took off yesterday.

An estimated 100,000 passengers are still arriving through UK airports each day - around one fifth of the number before the pandemic.

Many of these are Brits returning from abroad, but Government scientific advisers have warned that around 500 coronavirus cases may be linked to foreign nationals coming in to the UK.

While passengers arriving off flights from affected countries are asked to self-isolate for 14 days, there are no means of enforcing this and no health checks are being carried out at UK airports.

A source told The Telegraph: 'We are most concerned about the daily flights from the US and Iran which are coming in on a daily basis.

'We want to stop non-EEA nationals from flying into the UK. The EU is not a problem for the most part because their domestic lockdowns are so severe.'

'There is no doubt that we are going to come under increasing pressure to sort this.

'At the moment anyone can come into the UK as a tourist from Iran. The only limitation is what that country is doing domestically to stop people going to an airport in the first place.'

The departments of health and transport, as well as the Home Office, make decisions about a potential UK flight ban.

The issue is thought to have been raised at a Cabinet committee in response to the pandemic but has yet to be resolved.