UK's Johnson gives update from hospital room after experiencing more coronavirus symptoms: ‘I’m in good spi... - Fox News

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is in “good spirits” Monday after being admitted into a hospital for treatment following his positive test for the coronavirus.

“I’d like to say thank you to all the brilliant NHS staff taking care of me and others in this difficult time,” he said in a tweet. “You are the best of Britain.”

Johnson was sent to a hospital Sunday as “a precautionary step, as the prime minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus 10 days after testing positive,” his office announced.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE 

His symptoms are believed to include a high temperature, Sky News reports.

“Last night, on the advice of my doctor, I went into hospital for some routine tests as I’m still experiencing coronavirus symptoms,” Johnson tweeted Monday. “I’m in good spirits and keeping in touch with my team, as we work together to fight this virus and keep everyone safe.”

Housing and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told the BBC that Johnson is awaiting the results of medical tests after spending the night at the undisclosed hospital.

“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," he said.

CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN RULES IN UK MUST BE FOLLOWED OR EXERCISE MAY BE BANNED, HEALTH SECRETARY WARNS

Jenrick did not rule out a more prolonged stay, but noted that Johnson had been working “phenomenally hard’’ in this “uniquely intense period."

The 55-year-old leader had been quarantined in his 10 Downing Street residence since being diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 26 — the first known head of government to fall ill with the virus.

He has continued to preside at daily meetings on the outbreak and has released several video messages during his isolation.

“This isn’t an emergency admission, and so I certainly expect that he will be back at Number 10 shortly," Jenrick said about Johnson's ongoing hospital stay.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP   

As of Monday, the United Kingdom has 47,806 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 4,934 deaths, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University.

Queen Elizabeth II addressed the U.K. on the crisis Sunday, saying that “together we are tackling this disease and I want to reassure you that if we remain united in resolute then we will overcome it.”

Fox News’ Frank Miles and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiiQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5mb3huZXdzLmNvbS93b3JsZC91a3Mtam9obnNvbi1naXZlcy11cGRhdGUtZnJvbS1ob3NwaXRhbC1yb29tLWFmdGVyLWV4cGVyaWVuY2luZy1tb3JlLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXN5bXB0b21zLWltLWluLWdvb2Qtc3Bpcml0c9IBjQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5mb3huZXdzLmNvbS93b3JsZC91a3Mtam9obnNvbi1naXZlcy11cGRhdGUtZnJvbS1ob3NwaXRhbC1yb29tLWFmdGVyLWV4cGVyaWVuY2luZy1tb3JlLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXN5bXB0b21zLWltLWluLWdvb2Qtc3Bpcml0cy5hbXA?oc=5

2020-04-06 12:53:47Z
52780704870161

Coronavirus: Queen tells UK 'we will succeed' in fight - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The Queen has said the UK "will succeed" in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, in a rallying message to the nation.

In a rare speech, the monarch thanked people for following government rules to stay at home and praised those "coming together to help others".

She also thanked key workers, saying "every hour" of work "brings us closer to a return to more normal times".

It comes as the number of people to die with the virus in the UK reached 4,934.

'We will meet again'

Speaking from Windsor Castle, the Queen said: "While we have faced challenges before, this one is different."

"This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.

"We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."

The Queen, 93, also said the "painful sense of separation from their loved ones" that social distancing was causing for people reminded her of the experience child evacuees had during the Second World War.

"Now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do," she said.

An hour after the Queen's broadcast, Downing Street announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been taken to hospital following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Mr Johnson has been self-isolating since he tested positive for the virus on 27 March.

In her address, the Queen said everyone who was following guidance to stay at home was "helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones".

"Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it," she added.

She also stressed the value of self-discipline and resolve - and said she hopes that, in the future, everyone would "be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge".

'Ambitious message' to inspire nation

There have been difficult royal speeches and addresses in the past - times when the wrong word or the wrong phrase could have undermined the message or let slip a critical opportunity.

The broadcast after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 for example, or the speech the Queen gave on her visit to Ireland in 2011.

The Palace could have played it safe, stressed unity and given thanks. It would have served.

This was a different and much more ambitious broadcast, designed to reassure and to inspire.

But most of all to recast this crisis as a defining moment in a nation which will forever remember its collective effort to save the lives of its vulnerable.

Read more here.

The pre-recorded message, written by the Queen with her private secretary Sir Edward Young, was filmed by a single cameraman wearing protective equipment. All other technical staff were in another room.

It was broadcast on TV, radio and social media channels.

• The Queen's broadcast in full

The decision to deliver the address was made "in close consultation with Downing Street", BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said.

Nightingale Hospital - the first temporary field hospital to open to treat coronavirus patients - shared photos on Twitter of staff listening to the speech, and thanked the monarch for recognising the hard work of frontline NHS staff.

The UK government's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Queen's address was "striking and important".

The new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the monarch spoke for the whole country "and our determination to defeat the coronavirus".

The Queen's address came less than a week after her son, the Prince of Wales, came out of self-isolation, following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Prince Charles, 71, spent seven days self-isolating in Scotland after testing positive and displaying mild symptoms.

The Queen's four other special addresses

It is only the fifth time the monarch has given such a speech in her 68-year reign.

While her Christmas Day message is an annual event, only rarely has the Queen made rallying speeches at key moments in the life of the nation:

• A televised speech to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in June 2012
• A special address to the nation on the eve of her mother's funeral in April 2002
• A live broadcast on the eve of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in September 1997
• And a statement at the beginning of the land war in Iraq on 24 February 1991

Read more here.

On Sunday Mr Hancock urged the public to follow social distancing rules over a sunny weekend to protect the NHS and slow the spread of the virus.

The Department of Health said on Sunday there had been 621 more coronavirus-related deaths in the UK in the past day.

The latest deaths include 12 more in Wales, seven in Northern Ireland and two in Scotland.

As of 09:00 BST on Sunday, 47,806 people had tested positive for the virus, the Department of Health said.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MjE3NjIyMtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTIxNzYyMjI?oc=5

2020-04-06 09:58:59Z
52780704529428

UK cell towers torched amid bogus conspiracy theories that link 5G with coronavirus - CNBC

A mobile phone mast on January 8, 2020 in Cardiff, United Kingdom.

Matthew Horwood | Getty Images

Several cell towers in the U.K. have been set on fire and engineers harassed amid the spread of online conspiracy theories that link 5G technology with the coronavirus pandemic.

Four of Vodafone's mobile phone masts were attacked in the last 24 hours, a spokesperson for the British carrier told CNBC Sunday. It's unclear whether the sites affected were used for 5G.

Video footage circulated online last week showing a mast torched in the English city of Birmingham. EE said its engineers were assessing the cause of the fire, adding it was "likely" arson and that, if so, the firm would work with local police to identify a culprit. The tower was not a 5G mast. 

"This site served thousands of people in the Birmingham area, providing vital 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity as it has done for many years," an EE spokesperson told CNBC. "We will try to restore full coverage as quickly as possible, but the damage caused by the fire is significant."

Meanwhile, a clip also surfaced on Twitter showing a woman harassing telecoms engineers laying 5G fiber-optic cables. The woman questions why the engineers are working and claims the technology "kills people."

There are floods of posts on Facebook claiming the coronavirus outbreak was caused by 5G, the fifth generation of mobile internet. Many of the claims center on the idea that the virus originated in Wuhan because the Chinese city had deployed 5G networks last year.

Celebrities have drawn criticism for promoting such claims. U.K. talent show judge Amanda Holden shared a petition calling for 5G to be banned in a since-deleted tweet, while U.S. actor Woody Harrelson posted about the conspiracy theory on Instagram, claiming a "lot of my friends have been talking about the negative effects of 5G."

But there is no evidence to support those views. British fact-checking charity Full Fact points out that there are many places affected by the disease where 5G infrastructure hasn't yet been deployed. Iran, for instance, has not rolled out 5G, but is among the hardest-hit countries.

Social networks under fire

On Saturday, British minister Michael Gove labeled the 5G conspiracy theories "dangerous nonsense." Stephen Powis, national medical director for England, said they were "the worst kind of fake news."

"I'm absolutely outraged, absolutely disgusted, that people would be taking action against the very infrastructure that we need to respond to this health emergency," said Powis. "It is absolute and utter rubbish."

Britain's culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, will meet with social media companies this week to discuss the spread of disinformation about 5G and COVID-19, a government spokesperson told CNBC.

"We have received several reports of criminal damage to phone masts and abuse of telecoms engineers apparently inspired by crackpot conspiracy theories circulating online. Those responsible for criminal acts will face the full force of the law," the spokesperson said.

"We must also see social media companies acting responsibly and taking much swifter action to stop nonsense spreading on their platforms which encourages such acts. The Culture Secretary is meeting with companies this week to discuss this."

Vodafone's U.K. boss, Nick Jeffery, slammed the attacks on telecoms infrastructure and staff, calling online stories linking coronavirus to 5G "utterly baseless."

"This is now a matter of national security," he said. "Police and counter terrorism authorities are investigating."

"But rest assured that our mobile and broadband networks remain resilient, and that you, your families and businesses, will stay connected," Jeffery added.

Like previous cellular networks, 5G relies on signals carried out by radio waves, which are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. There have been fears that this electromagnetic radiation could result in health risks.

But the radio waves used for mobile networks are non-ionizing, meaning they don't have enough energy to remove electrons from atoms or molecules. The fifth standard of mobile networks was deemed safe by the International Commission on Non‐Ionizing Radiation Protection earlier this year.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNuYmMuY29tLzIwMjAvMDQvMDYvY29yb25hdmlydXMtdWstY2VsbC10b3dlcnMtc2V0LW9uLWZpcmUtYW1pZC01Zy1jb25zcGlyYWN5LXRoZW9yaWVzLmh0bWzSAWtodHRwczovL3d3dy5jbmJjLmNvbS9hbXAvMjAyMC8wNC8wNi9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy11ay1jZWxsLXRvd2Vycy1zZXQtb24tZmlyZS1hbWlkLTVnLWNvbnNwaXJhY3ktdGhlb3JpZXMuaHRtbA?oc=5

2020-04-06 06:56:00Z
52780705991431

Coronavirus: Queen tells UK 'we will succeed' in fight - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The Queen has said the UK "will succeed" in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, in a rallying message to the nation.

In a rare speech, the monarch thanked people for following government rules to stay at home and praised those "coming together to help others".

She also thanked key workers, saying "every hour" of work "brings us closer to a return to more normal times".

It comes as the number of people to die with the virus in the UK reached 4,934.

'We will meet again'

Speaking from Windsor Castle, the Queen said: "While we have faced challenges before, this one is different."

"This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.

"We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."

The Queen, 93, also said the "painful sense of separation from their loved ones" that social distancing was causing for people reminded her of the experience child evacuees had during the Second World War.

"Now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do," she said.

An hour after the Queen's broadcast, Downing Street announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been taken to hospital following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Mr Johnson has been self-isolating since he tested positive for the virus on 27 March.

In her address, the Queen said everyone who was following guidance to stay at home was "helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones".

"Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it," she added.

She also stressed the value of self-discipline and resolve - and said she hopes that, in the future, everyone would "be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge".

'Ambitious message' to inspire nation

There have been difficult royal speeches and addresses in the past - times when the wrong word or the wrong phrase could have undermined the message or let slip a critical opportunity.

The broadcast after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 for example, or the speech the Queen gave on her visit to Ireland in 2011.

The Palace could have played it safe, stressed unity and given thanks. It would have served.

This was a different and much more ambitious broadcast, designed to reassure and to inspire.

But most of all to recast this crisis as a defining moment in a nation which will forever remember its collective effort to save the lives of its vulnerable.

Read more here.

The pre-recorded message, written by the Queen with her private secretary Sir Edward Young, was filmed by a single cameraman wearing protective equipment. All other technical staff were in another room.

It was broadcast on TV, radio and social media channels.

• The Queen's broadcast in full

The decision to deliver the address was made "in close consultation with Downing Street", BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said.

Nightingale Hospital - the first temporary field hospital to open to treat coronavirus patients - shared photos on Twitter of staff listening to the speech, and thanked the monarch for recognising the hard work of frontline NHS staff.

The UK government's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Queen's address was "striking and important".

The new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the monarch spoke for the whole country "and our determination to defeat the coronavirus".

The Queen's address came less than a week after her son, the Prince of Wales, came out of self-isolation, following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Prince Charles, 71, spent seven days self-isolating in Scotland after testing positive and displaying mild symptoms.

The Queen's four other special addresses

It is only the fifth time the monarch has given such a speech in her 68-year reign.

While her Christmas Day message is an annual event, only rarely has the Queen made rallying speeches at key moments in the life of the nation:

• A televised speech to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in June 2012
• A special address to the nation on the eve of her mother's funeral in April 2002
• A live broadcast on the eve of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in September 1997
• And a statement at the beginning of the land war in Iraq on 24 February 1991

Read more here.

On Sunday Mr Hancock urged the public to follow social distancing rules over a sunny weekend to protect the NHS and slow the spread of the virus.

The Department of Health said on Sunday there had been 621 more coronavirus-related deaths in the UK in the past day.

The latest deaths include 12 more in Wales, seven in Northern Ireland and two in Scotland.

As of 09:00 BST on Sunday, 47,806 people had tested positive for the virus, the Department of Health said.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MjE3NjIyMtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTIxNzYyMjI?oc=5

2020-04-06 07:49:07Z
52780704529428

Coronavirus: Queen tells UK 'we will succeed' in fight - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The Queen has said the UK "will succeed" in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, in a rallying message to the nation.

In a rare speech, the monarch thanked people for following government rules to stay at home and praised those "coming together to help others".

She also thanked key workers, saying "every hour" of work "brings us closer to a return to more normal times".

It comes as the number of people to die with the virus in the UK reached 4,934.

'We will meet again'

Speaking from Windsor Castle, the Queen said: "While we have faced challenges before, this one is different."

"This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.

"We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."

The Queen, 93, also said the "painful sense of separation from their loved ones" that social distancing was causing for people reminded her of the experience child evacuees had during the Second World War.

"Now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do," she said.

An hour after the Queen's broadcast, Downing Street announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been taken to hospital following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Mr Johnson has been self-isolating since he tested positive for the virus on 27 March.

In her address, the Queen said everyone who was following guidance to stay at home was "helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones".

"Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it," she added.

She also stressed the value of self-discipline and resolve - and said she hopes that, in the future, everyone would "be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge".

'Ambitious message' to inspire nation

There have been difficult royal speeches and addresses in the past - times when the wrong word or the wrong phrase could have undermined the message or let slip a critical opportunity.

The broadcast after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 for example, or the speech the Queen gave on her visit to Ireland in 2011.

The Palace could have played it safe, stressed unity and given thanks. It would have served.

This was a different and much more ambitious broadcast, designed to reassure and to inspire.

But most of all to recast this crisis as a defining moment in a nation which will forever remember its collective effort to save the lives of its vulnerable.

Read more here.

The pre-recorded message, written by the Queen with her private secretary Sir Edward Young, was filmed by a single cameraman wearing protective equipment. All other technical staff were in another room.

It was broadcast on TV, radio and social media channels.

• The Queen's broadcast in full

The decision to deliver the address was made "in close consultation with Downing Street", BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said.

Nightingale Hospital - the first temporary field hospital to open to treat coronavirus patients - shared photos on Twitter of staff listening to the speech, and thanked the monarch for recognising the hard work of frontline NHS staff.

The UK government's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Queen's address was "striking and important".

The new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the monarch spoke for the whole country "and our determination to defeat the coronavirus".

The Queen's address came less than a week after her son, the Prince of Wales, came out of self-isolation, following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Prince Charles, 71, spent seven days self-isolating in Scotland after testing positive and displaying mild symptoms.

The Queen's four other special addresses

It is only the fifth time the monarch has given such a speech in her 68-year reign.

While her Christmas Day message is an annual event, only rarely has the Queen made rallying speeches at key moments in the life of the nation:

• A televised speech to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in June 2012
• A special address to the nation on the eve of her mother's funeral in April 2002
• A live broadcast on the eve of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in September 1997
• And a statement at the beginning of the land war in Iraq on 24 February 1991

Read more here.

On Sunday Mr Hancock urged the public to follow social distancing rules over a sunny weekend to protect the NHS and slow the spread of the virus.

The Department of Health said on Sunday there had been 621 more coronavirus-related deaths in the UK in the past day.

The latest deaths include 12 more in Wales, seven in Northern Ireland and two in Scotland.

As of 09:00 BST on Sunday, 47,806 people had tested positive for the virus, the Department of Health said.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MjE3NjIyMtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTIxNzYyMjI?oc=5

2020-04-06 05:06:04Z
52780704529428

Coronavirus: Queen tells UK 'we will succeed' in fight - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The Queen has said the UK "will succeed" in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, in a rallying message to the nation.

In a rare speech, the monarch thanked people for following government rules to stay at home and praised those "coming together to help others".

She also thanked key workers, saying "every hour" of work "brings us closer to a return to more normal times".

It comes as the number of people to die with the virus in the UK reached 4,934.

'We will meet again'

Speaking from Windsor Castle, the Queen said: "While we have faced challenges before, this one is different."

"This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.

"We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."

The Queen, 93, also said the "painful sense of separation from their loved ones" that social distancing was causing for people reminded her of the experience child evacuees had during the Second World War.

"Now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do," she said.

An hour after the Queen's broadcast, Downing Street announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been taken to hospital following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Mr Johnson has been self-isolating since he tested positive for the virus on 27 March.

In her address, the Queen said everyone who was following guidance to stay at home was "helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones".

"Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it," she added.

She also stressed the value of self-discipline and resolve - and said she hopes that, in the future, everyone would "be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge".

'Ambitious message' to inspire nation

There have been difficult royal speeches and addresses in the past - times when the wrong word or the wrong phrase could have undermined the message or let slip a critical opportunity.

The broadcast after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 for example, or the speech the Queen gave on her visit to Ireland in 2011.

The Palace could have played it safe, stressed unity and given thanks. It would have served.

This was a different and much more ambitious broadcast, designed to reassure and to inspire.

But most of all to recast this crisis as a defining moment in a nation which will forever remember its collective effort to save the lives of its vulnerable.

Read more here.

The pre-recorded message, written by the Queen with her private secretary Sir Edward Young, was filmed by a single cameraman wearing protective equipment. All other technical staff were in another room.

It was broadcast on TV, radio and social media channels.

• The Queen's broadcast in full

The decision to deliver the address was made "in close consultation with Downing Street", BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said.

Nightingale Hospital - the first temporary field hospital to open to treat coronavirus patients - shared photos on Twitter of staff listening to the speech, and thanked the monarch for recognising the hard work of frontline NHS staff.

The UK government's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Queen's address was "striking and important".

The new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the monarch spoke for the whole country "and our determination to defeat the coronavirus".

The Queen's address came less than a week after her son, the Prince of Wales, came out of self-isolation, following his coronavirus diagnosis.

Prince Charles, 71, spent seven days self-isolating in Scotland after testing positive and displaying mild symptoms.

The Queen's four other special addresses

It is only the fifth time the monarch has given such a speech in her 68-year reign.

While her Christmas Day message is an annual event, only rarely has the Queen made rallying speeches at key moments in the life of the nation:

• A televised speech to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in June 2012
• A special address to the nation on the eve of her mother's funeral in April 2002
• A live broadcast on the eve of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in September 1997
• And a statement at the beginning of the land war in Iraq on 24 February 1991

Read more here.

On Sunday Mr Hancock urged the public to follow social distancing rules over a sunny weekend to protect the NHS and slow the spread of the virus.

The Department of Health said on Sunday there had been 621 more coronavirus-related deaths in the UK in the past day.

The latest deaths include 12 more in Wales, seven in Northern Ireland and two in Scotland.

As of 09:00 BST on Sunday, 47,806 people had tested positive for the virus, the Department of Health said.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay01MjE3NjIyMtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNTIxNzYyMjI?oc=5

2020-04-06 04:30:53Z
52780704529428

UK's plan B if 'Team Johnson' is incapacitated? Answer is unclear - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s constitution offers no clear answer to the question now on many Britons’ minds: what happens if Prime Minister Boris Johnson, undergoing tests in hospital after persistent symptoms of coronavirus, cannot continue to lead.

FILE PHOTO: A journalist is pictured filming the front of 10 Downing street after Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain, March 27, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

Johnson was admitted to hospital on Sunday in what his office said was a “precautionary step” after testing positive 10 days ago and still suffering from a high temperature. He remains in charge of the government, his office said.

Johnson has said he can keep working from self-isolation in his Downing Street residence, just as his health secretary, Matt Hancock, who also tested positive for the virus, has done.

But the fact that two such crucial leaders in the UK’s fight against the pandemic have contracted the disease has raised questions about how the government would function without them at a time of global crisis.

The constitution — an unwieldy collection of sometimes ancient and contradictory precedents — offers no clear, formal “Plan B” or succession scenario, experts said.

“We’ve not been in that kind of situation, we’ve not had to think about it from that point of view before,” Catherine Haddon, a senior fellow at the Institute for Government, told Reuters soon after Johnson was first diagnosed.

Whereas in the United States the vice president steps up if the president dies or becomes incapacitated, Britain has no formal deputy or caretaker prime minister who would take over.

Downing Street has already said, however, that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab would deputise if necessary.

Nor is there any guidance for such circumstances in the Cabinet Manual which sets out the rules and conventions for the running of government, and there is little precedence.

When asked about who would stand in for the prime minister, his spokesman said: “The prime minister has the power to delegate responsibility to any of his ministers, but for now it is the prime minister and then the foreign secretary.”

CHURCHILL’S STROKE

In June 1953, then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill suffered a stroke while in office. His illness was kept so secret that some senior ministers were unaware.

Churchill surprised doctors by recovering to carry on his duties, returning to Downing Street and running the cabinet two months later.

More recently, Tony Blair twice underwent treatment for a heart condition while prime minister in the early 2000s, each time briefly cutting back on his workload for a couple of days.

Officials said that if Blair were to have been incapacitated, his then-deputy John Prescott would have taken over until a new leader was elected.

There is no suggestion Johnson is unable to perform his job. Since his diagnosis, he has carried on leading the government’s efforts through the use of teleconferencing.

MUDDLE THROUGH?

Bob Kerslake, head of the civil service from January 2012 to September 2014, said Johnson’s role was crucial at this time, stressing that visible leadership was essential.

Kerslake, speaking to Sky News last month after Johnson tested positive, said officials would need to know what would happen if senior ministers were unable to do their jobs.

Losing Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, who coordinates policy across government, would be a serious blow.

“He is critical to all of this,” Kerslake said. “If, for whatever reason, he was ill, who takes over from him?”

Haddon from the Institute for Government said some powers were specifically vested in cabinet ministers, so there was an issue of what happened if they were unavailable.

“If you got to a stage where ... you had secretaries of state who aren’t able to perform their functions, then there are question marks about whether junior ministers in their department act on their behalf,” she said.

One lawmaker in Johnson’s party, who has repeatedly tried to bring in a law to formalise who would replace a prime minister in the event of incapacity, said last month that no one seemed to know what would happen.

“In a national emergency, you don’t want to be scrabbling around worrying about who’s in charge,” Peter Bone told the Mirror newspaper.

Editing by Mark Bendeich and Daniel Wallis

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMilAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL3VzLWhlYWx0aC1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1icml0YWluLWpvaG5zb24taWwvdWtzLXBsYW4tYi1pZi10ZWFtLWpvaG5zb24taXMtaW5jYXBhY2l0YXRlZC1hbnN3ZXItaXMtdW5jbGVhci1pZFVTS0JOMjFOMFhJ0gE0aHR0cHM6Ly9tb2JpbGUucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZS9hbXAvaWRVU0tCTjIxTjBYSQ?oc=5

2020-04-05 22:22:31Z
52780704870161