Matt Lucas knows seven people who have died from coronavirus

Comedian Matt Lucas has revealed he knows seven people who have died from Covid-19 in a heartbreaking response to a fan who criticised him for mocking Boris Johnson’s lockdown speech yesterday.

The Little Britain star shared a video on Twitter on Sunday satirising the Prime Minister’s address to the nation, commenting: ‘Go to work, don’t go to work.’ 

While Twitter users were widely mocking the PM, one follower took exception to the 46-year-old’s tweet, saying: ‘Meanwhile Matt people are dying!!! Love ya to bits but… Not really the time for taking the p***. People are having to bury their families.’

• England’s Covid-19 message has changed from ‘Stay at Home’ to ‘Stay Alert’
• PM says the public can have unlimited exercise and sunbathe in public
• Scotland and Wales are keeping the Stay at Home message in place 
• Wales has warned warning English motorists not to visit for exercise or leisure 
• Heavy traffic on some roads and Tubes are busy as people return to work 

Matt responded: ‘I know 7 people who have died, Andy. When the message from our PM is clear and effective, satirists like me will be out of a job. I’ll be happy when that happens.’

The follower later replied: ‘I repeat I love you work but This is in very poor taste expected better of a compassionate man.’ 

Matt Lucas shared his video with 1.1million followers on Sunday evening, doing his best impersonation of the PM he said: ‘So we are saying don’t go to work, go to work, don’t take public transport, don’t go to work. Stay indoors, if you can work from home go to work, don’t go to work.

‘Go outside, don’t go outside. And then we will or won’t something or other.’

Last night the Prime Minister ditched the ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’ slogan, instead urging people to ‘stay alert, control the virus, and save lives’.

He also unveiled a three stage exit plan and a five stage alert system to describe the country’s outbreak condition.

But the new measures, and tweaks to the draconian lockdown rules – which include being able to leave the house for exercise as often as you want – left people feeling decidedly confused.

The PM also revealed that sunbathing in parks will be permitted so long as strict social distancing rules are obeyed, and schools will start to reopen next month – but social media users savaged Mr Johnson’s coronavirus exit blueprint. 

The public was left even more confused this morning when, as commuters travelled to work on public transport, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said people were not supposed to return to work until Wednesday.  

At 2pm today the government published a 50-page document outlining the latest lockdown rules and setting targets for when children will return to school and when people will be able to mix with their families again.

Before the guidance could be published, many other people had taken to Twitter to share their confusion following last night’s speech from the PM. 

Others came to the Matt Lucas’ aid today, with one user writing: ‘Brilliant work, Matt – don’t let the bullies with an agenda silence you – satire is EXACTLY what this absurd situation needs.’

Another wrote: ‘This is a bad situation for everyone and it‘s sad enough that so many people are dying around the world – but that doesn‘t mean that one isn‘t allowed to offer criticism or laugh or make jokes. In fact everybody is in need of some good jokes these days I think!’

Since the coronavirus reached Britain, Matt Lucas released his song Thank You Baked Potato, which helped raise money to feed NHS workers on the frontline of the pandemic. 

The Feed the NHS fundraising page, set up by actor Damian Lewis, has raised more than £1million as the British public dug into its pockets to help nurses and other health workers.