Speaking on Sky News, Ms Sarkar said: “Matt Hancock was on the radio today where he was confronted directly by the father of an NHS worker who died and said ‘this is on you. How haven’t you been able to equip these workers with PPE?’

“I think we’re going to see a lot more exchanges like that and rightly so.

“Last night’s BBC Panorama showed the Government haven’t been entirely straightforward with how its been.

“Counting the numbers of PPE that have been distributed, they’ve been counting each glove individually rather than as a pair.

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“Traditionally, people have two hands and they need two gloves. They’ve also been counting paper towels as PPE and not including things like protective aprons and gowns.”

Sky News host Adam Boulton interjected: “Against that, aren’t there an awful lot of people who think the Government is doing the best that it can in difficult circumstances and who actually resent that sort of criticism?”

Ms Sarkar replied: “Doing your best applies to when you’re making a birthday cake for your mum and it sinks a bit in the middle.

“Doing your best doesn’t apply in the same way to a Government which hasn’t been following advice from years and years of preparing for a risk of a pandemic.

People across the UK paused for a minute in tribute to the sacrifice made by those in roles ranging from doctors and nurses to carers, cleaners, porters and bus drivers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has just returned to work this week after recovering from Covid-19, joined the countrywide commemoration, as did Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

It comes as the NHS is preparing to resume key non-coronavirus services, including the most urgent cancer care, over fears thousands of patients could be having their illnesses made worse or missed altogether.

Professor Karol Sikora, a cancer specialist and dean at the University of Buckingham medical school, said the NHS must get going again on heart and cancer care, adding there was a need to avoid a “catastrophe” on cancer.