Hopes of completing Newcastle United's season receive a significant boost as government back behind closed doors plan

Raab was quizzed on the potential return of football at the daily Downing Street press briefing on Tuesday, May 5 – with the Premier League and EFL both putting plans in place to play fixtures behind closed doors once it is safe to do so.

And the government are putting plans in place to facilitate fixtures in empty stadiums once the country moves into the second phase of its fight against coronavirus, which could be in a matter of weeks.

Indeed, Raab believes the return of sport could help boost the spirits of a nation who have spent almost 50 days in a state of lockdown.

“I think it would lift the spirits of the nation,” he said.

“I think people would like to see us, not just get back to work and school, but also enjoy some of those pastimes - sporting in particular.

“I know the government has have productive meetings with governing bodies to get athletes back to training once its safe to do so, and I can tell you that the culture secretary has also been working on a plan to get sports played behind closed doors when we move to the second phase. That's something I can tell you we're looking at.

“But we can only do it when the medical and scientific evidence shows it can be done safely and sustainably.”