Boris Johnson was tonight taken out of intensive care in a sign he is winning his coronavirus battle.
The Prime Minister, who has been in hospital since Sunday, has spent three nights in a high-dependency unit at St Thomas’s Hospital in central London after his condition deteriorated.
The announcement came just hours after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been standing in for him while he was incapacitated, said he was making ‘positive steps forward’ in his treatment.
This evening a No 10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery.
‘He is in extremely good spirits.’
Images show the Prime Minister’s changing appearance as his coronavirus battle progressed
Mr Raab, the Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State, began the daily news conference by saying: ‘He’s still in intensive care but he continues to make positive steps forward and he’s in good spirits’
Carrie Symonds this evening posted a picture of a rainbow on Twitter with the clapping emoji as she took part in the ‘Clap for Carers’ campaign
Thoughts will now turn to how long Mr Johnson might remain in hospital before he is well enough to play a full part in Government again.
The birth of his child with Carrie Symonds, 32, is also only weeks away, and the couple have been apart since he went into isolation on March 27.
This evening Miss Symonds took to Twitter where she posted a picture of a rainbow.
Alongside the picture she added clapping emojis, as the nation took to the streets this evening to ‘Clap for Carers’.
On another tumultuous day in the struggle to control coronavirus:
- Downing Street said that planning is under way across Whitehall for an exit strategy from lockdown, but ministers are facing criticism for secrecy over the plans;
- Mr Johnson is ‘continuing to improve’ in intensive care, and he has been sitting up ‘engaging’ with medical staff treating him at St Thomas’ hospital;
- A respected think-tank has warned that a million people could end up with long-term health conditions as a result of the economic hit from coronavirus lockdown;
- The Bank of England has extended the government’s Ways and Means provision – effectively its overdraft;
- New figures show the economy had effectively flatlined before the coronavirus crisis hit with 0.1 per cent growth in the three months to February;
- It has emerged that MPs have been offered an extra £10,000 in expenses to help them and staff work from home;
- EU officials have accused the UK government of being in ‘fantasy land’ by insisting the Brexit transition period cannot be extended beyond December;
It came as the UK recorded 881 more coronavirus deaths today, taking Britain’s total to 7,978 as its coronavirus crisis rumbles on.
Mr Raab, the Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State, began the daily news conference this evening by saying: ‘Can I start with an update on the Prime Minister – he’s still in intensive care but he continues to make positive steps forward and he’s in good spirits.’
But he confirmed that he had not spoken to Mr Johnson since taking over his duties. Asked if they had been in touch he said: ‘Not yet. It’s important, particularly while he is intensive care that he is able to focus on his recovery.’
Mr Raab chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee this afternoon which signalled the lockdown will continue for weeks longer despite mounting fears over the economic hit.
The Foreign Secretary appealed to the public to keep following social distancing rules as he took the daily Downing Street briefing, insisting there will be no more information about changes to the draconian curbs until at least the end of next week.
In a stark message, Mr Raab – deputising for Boris Johnson as he is treated in intensive care – said the disease must not be allowed to ‘kill more people and hurt our country’. ‘We’re not done yet. We must keep going,’ he said.
Boris Johnson’s condition is improving – and he may even have been able to speak to his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds (right), though Downing Street have not confirmed this
Boris Johnson is still in intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London today, although the Prime Minister’s condition is said to be ‘improving’
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, an ally of the PM, said he was ‘getting better’ in intensive care, where he has been treated since Monday
Downing Street had relayed more positive signs about the Prime Minister’s health this morning, saying he had a ‘good night’ although he is still receiving oxygen.
‘The PM had a good night and continues to improve in intensive care at St Thomas’s. He is in good spirits,’ his spokesman said.
However, there is no sign Mr Johnson will be able to take part in decisions over the outbreak ravaging the country, after No10 confirmed yesterday that he is not working.
In a round of interviews earlier, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the premier was doing ‘reasonably well’.
He told BBC Breakfast this morning: ‘He’s stable, improving, sat up and engaged with medical staff.
‘I’ve known the Prime Minister for a long time and I wish him well in this difficult time and I think things are getting better for him.’
Asked about whether the PM will be able to make a decision himself on the lockdown next week, Mr Dowden told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘He’s in a stable condition, he seems to be doing reasonably well, he was sat up and engaging with medical staff.
‘But we have a well-established mechanism for the first minister Dominic Raab to take the Prime Minister’s place in chairing such meetings, he will chair Cobra and he will chair the relevant decisions. This is just about going through a proper process, that’s why we’re waiting for next week.’
‘We’re not done yet’: Dominic Raab reads the riot act as Britain suffers 881 more coronavirus deaths ahead of sunny Easter weekend and warns lockdown must REMAIN until peak is passed – amid demands for an ‘exit strategy’ before economic meltdown
Dominic Raab read the riot act to Britons ahead of the sunny Easter weekend tonight saying lockdown must stay in force until the coronavirus outbreak peaks.
The Foreign Secretary appealed to the public to keep following social distancing rules as he took the daily Downing Street briefing, insisting there will be no more information about changes to the draconian curbs until at least the end of next week.
In a stark message, Mr Raab – deputising for Boris Johnson as he is treated in intensive care – said the disease must not be allowed to ‘kill more people and hurt our country’. ‘We’re not done yet. We must keep going,’ he said.
However, ministers are facing a mounting backlash for stonewalling over their coronavirus ‘exit plan’, amid fears of massive damage to the economy. Mr Raab hinted this evening that they are avoiding doing so to avoid people ‘taking their eye off the ball’. ‘We will make the right decisions at the right moment and we will be guided by the science,’ he said.
The comments came after Mr Raab chaired the Cobra crisis meeting this afternoon, and the UK recorded another 881 deaths – although in a small relief numbers fell back from the high of almost 1,000 declared yesterday.
Far from easing the lockdown, police have been urging tighter restrictions such as barring people from driving long distances and making it illegal to exercise more than once a day – although Home Secretary Priti Patel batted away the calls tonight.
But the trade-offs involved in the national effort are becoming increasingly clear, with claims two million people have already lost their jobs.
The respected IFS think-tank has warned that more than a million people might suffer long-term illness as a result of the economic misery.
Labour’s new leader Keir Starmer said ministers must spell out their ‘exit strategy’. ‘I’m not calling for precise timings, but the strategy,’ he said. ‘This is incredibly difficult on people and we need to know that plans are in place, and what they are.’
Downing Street insisted planning is under way across Whitehall for the restrictions to be eased – but flatly refused to say what that might involve, saying the government’s focus is on tackling the epidemic.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the disease must not be allowed to ‘kill more people and hurt our country’ as he took the daily Downing Street briefing
The UK has recorded 881 more coronavirus deaths today, taking Britain’s total to 7,978 as its coronavirus crisis rumbles on and 4,344 more positive tests pushed the number of patients, past and present, to 65,077.
The grim tally is considerably smaller than the devastating 938 announced yesterday but still represents the second biggest surge since the epidemic began almost six weeks ago. Britain has so far managed to avoid the dark milestone of announcing 1,000 deaths in a single day, something that has only happened in the US.
NHS England announced 765 more fatalities in its hospitals among patients aged between 24 and 103, taking England’s total to 7,248, and 116 deaths were announced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Experts say it is still too soon to see the impact of the UK’s lockdown in daily statistics but, speaking in today’s Government briefing, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said ‘the NHS can cope’ with the current situation. Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical adviser, added ‘there is still room’ in intensive care units.
In a direct appeal to the public, Mr Raab said: ‘Above all, as we go into this long bank holiday weekend I think people should think very long and hard, not just about the guidance and the importance of keeping it up, but about what happens to those on the NHS frontline who are doing a heroic job, if people in large numbers don’t comply with those rules.
‘I would urge everyone just to take a moment before they do anything however warm it is, however great the temptation, just to think about the sacrifices those on the frontline, particularly in our NHS are making.’
Mr Raab said: ‘While the early signs suggest that they are having the impact we need to see, it’s too early to say that conclusively.
‘Sage (the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies) will meet next week to discuss the latest evidence and we will keep the measures we’ve put in place under review.’
Mr Raab added: ‘We don’t expect to be able to say more on this until the end of next week.
‘The measures will have to stay in place until we’ve got the evidence that clearly shows we’ve moved beyond the peak.’
No10 has made clear the PM will not be participating in any government business while he battles the disease in intensive care – meaning decisions are in the hands of Mr Raab and Cabinet.
Asked if he had spoken to Mr Johnson since taking over his responsibilities, Mr Raab said: ‘Not yet, I think it’s important particularly while he’s in intensive care to let him focus on the recovery.
‘We in the Government have got this covered. I chaired the Cobra meeting that I have just come from, we are pursuing all the different strands of our strategy to defeat the coronavirus and I’m confident we’ll get there.’
Nicola Sturgeon preempted the hard line on lockdown this morning, before she even attended the Cobra meeting. ‘I don’t think there is any possibility, any likelihood of these lockdown measures being lifted immediately, or even imminently,’ she told Sky News.
She added: ‘I wouldn’t expect any change coming out of today’s Cobra meeting but we will see where the discussions take us.’
Although a review of lockdown must happen next week by law, there is now no chance of it being lifted. Senior politicians are set to launch a ‘Stay at Home This Easter’ publicity drive later designed to avert an exodus of sunseekers.
A report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) today raised fresh questions about the trade-offs involved in the extreme curbs, which are intended to stop hundreds of thousands being killed by the disease.
The IFS said there is debate over ‘whether the adverse health effects of a recession may be greater than the increased morbidity and mortality within the pandemic itself’.
It stressed that the scale of the economic hit from the lockdown is unclear, but is likely to be ‘much larger’ than the 2008 credit crunch which meant 900,000 more people of working age developed serious health issues.
Another 500,000 are estimated to have suffered poor mental health as a result of that crisis.
If the economic hit is twice as large it would be expected to lead to 1.8million people enduring chronic illness, and a million mental health issues.
In a sign of the intensifying strain on the country’s finances, the Government said it has expanded its overdraft with the Bank of England to ensure it has sufficient cash to cope with disruption.
It said the central bank will directly finance the extra spending the Government needs on a temporary basis.
The Treasury and the Bank of England said, in a joint statement, that it would minimise the need to raise additional funding from bond markets or currency markets.
The Government’s bank account at the central bank, historically known as the Ways & Means Facility, will rise to an undisclosed amount.
Ministers will be able to spend more in the short term without having to tap into the bond markets, as a result of the move.
Any money drawn from the facility, which usually stands at around £400million, will be paid back as soon as possible before the end of the year, the Treasury said.
The measure was last used during the 2008 financial crisis, which saw its value increase briefly to £19billion.
Meanwhile, police chiefs are calling for laws to ban Britons from driving long distances and flouting the rule to exercise more than once a day ahead of a hot Easter weekend.
Officers in Windermere, Cumbria, are already sending people in camper vans home, while locals in St Ives, Cornwall, blocked some roads to protect vulnerable residents.
Police have also created online forms for people to report potential breaches of the lockdown which was imposed on March 23 to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
At least five chief constables are said to be backing more stringent restrictions and clearer rules – including legislation to enforce the order to limit exercise to a one-hour period outdoors after some people flouted it to sunbathe in parks or beaches.
Northamptonshire Police said the ‘three-week grace period is over’ and suggested they may even start searching shopping trolleys, but how this would work is unclear.