Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab admits while football's return would lift the spirit of the nation, the sport must not be resumed until it is safe to do so.
The MP took centre stage at the government's daily Covid-19 press briefing and fielded questions from a number of journalists.
The Daily Mirror's Andy Dunn pressed Raab on the resumption of the Premier League, with chiefs planning for the division's return behind closed doors this summer.
But sport in the UK doesn't look likely to return at all until it is safe for those taking part. "It would lift the spirits of the nation.