By Boris Johnson leads Covid-19 crisis despite hospital admission
Yesterday, 10 days after he tested positive for Covid-19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 55, was admitted to hospital for further tests, as he continued to display symptoms of the virus. A spokesperson for Downing Street has said that despite his admission to hospital, Boris Johnson continues to lead the UK through the Covid-19 crisis.
It had previously been suggested that should Boris Johnson contract Covid-19, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab would take his place and lead the UK government.
Recent events suggest that this plan may have changed, as Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “still very much in charge of the government.” Mr Jenrick said:
“We hope that as a result of these tests [the prime minister] will be able to come back to Downing Street as soon as possible.
“He’s been working extremely hard leading the government and being constantly updated. That’s going to continue.”
“I’m sure this is very frustrating for him, for somebody like Boris who wants to be hands [on] running the government from the front, but nonetheless he’s still very much in charge of the government,”
The Prime Minister spent Sunday evening in a London with “persistent symptoms,” including a temperature. This is said to be a “precautionary step.”
It is reported that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will, however, stand in for Mr Johnson for Monday morning’s coronavirus meeting.
Downing Street representatives say that the PM is still in charge. However, if he is required to take time off to recuperate, then as the UK no longer has a deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, who is first Secretary of State, would indeed be expected to stand in.
It is likely that Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and Health Secretary Matt Hancock would also play a key role in such a scenario.
Health Minister Nadine Dorries, who also tested positive for Covid-19 last month, tweeted:
“Boris has risked his health and worked every day on our behalf to lead the battle against this vile virus.”
Fortunately, it is expected that the Prime Minister will have recovered before any major decisions are expected to be made.
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