Boris Johnson is ‘raring to go’ and will be back at work Monday
25 April 2020, 22:38
Boris Johnson's office says he'll be back at work on Monday - two weeks after leaving the hospital where he was being treated for Covid-19.
A Downing Street source has said the Prime Minister is "raring to go," and met colleagues yesterday to discuss the coronavirus crisis.
The Prime Minister has been recovering at his official country residence in Chequers after being released from St Thomas' Hospital in London.
He is understood to have held a three-hour summit meeting with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab - who has been deputising for him - and Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Friday ahead of his return.
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The PM has been holding a series of meetings with advisers and Ministers with a Number 10 source saying the PM held a meeting at Chequers with advisers on Friday.
A source said: "Mr Johnson was updated on the progress being made in the UK’s fight against Coronavirus and was given a detailed briefing on the policy work carried out so far on the next phase of our fight against the disease.
The Prime Minister has also held a series of Zoom meetings with his top advisers as well as a daily video call with acting Prime Minister Dominic Raab.
Downing Street also said Mr Johnson was "briefed on the latest plans. He also held lengthy discussions with CMO Chris Whitty and CSA Sir Patrick Vallance."
Sky News reported, depending on doctors advice, Mr Johnson may host Monday's daily Downing Street news conference and possibly take on the new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
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According to the latest official figures, a total of 20,319 patients had died in hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK as of 5pm on Friday – up by 813 from the previous day.
It meant the UK has become the fifth country to pass 20,000 coronavirus deaths, behind the US, Italy, Spain and France.
That figure does not include deaths in the wider community, such as in care homes, which means the true toll will be higher by several thousand at least.
