Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, has been appointed to “worry in the middle of the night” about pandemics as head of a new UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The new agency will merge Public Health England (PHE), the Joint Biosecurity Centre and NHS Test and Trace * from next week to bring together scientific, surveillance and practical preparation for future infectious disease threats.

Harries’s most pressing task will be using mass testing and contact tracing to help the country move out of lockdown over the coming months.

Mr Hancock said it would help ensure the UK was better equipped to deal with the next pandemic.

Speaking at the Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Public Health annual conference, he said there needed to be a body whose "total focus" was on the prevention and response to pandemics, infectious diseases and external threats, such as bioterrorism.

The UK has been criticised for being under-prepared for a pandemic. When Covid first hit there was limited testing and tracing capabilities, while responsibilities were split across a variety of organisations.