The grocer’s boss David Potts and chief operating officer Trevor Strain have called on Westminster to remove the “handbrake” of legislation in certain areas to allow retailers to “work together” and “feed the nation” during the outbreak.

Morrisons said like-for-like sales in the first six weeks of its new financial year jumped 5% as consumers stocked up on products such as toilet roll, soap, rice and pasta.

Like many of its grocery rivals, Morrisons has started rationing more than 1,200 lines in a bid to ensure a continuity of supply on its shelves.

But Potts and Strain suggested there is more that could be done by the government to help food retailers serve all their customers, including elderly and vulnerable members of society.