Mel Stride, chair of an influential group of MPs tasked with holding the Treasury to account, has asked for daily briefings on the government’s coronavirus loan scheme for businesses in an effort to speed up vital lending.

In a 20 April letter to Stephen Jones of finance lobby group UK Finance and Keith Morgan of the government’s British Business Bank, Stride asked to be sent daily updates on the three schemes set up to help SMEs, large businesses and startups struggling because of disruption brought on by the pandemic.