Published 20:29 IST, April 21st 2020
UK PM Boris Johnson to talk to Trump, meet Queen as he recovers from COVID-19
British PM Boris Johnson will speak to US President Donald Trump on April 21 and will meet Queen Elizabeth later this week after fully recovering from COVID-19.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will speak to US President Donald Trump on April 21 and will meet Queen Elizabeth later this week after completely recovering from COVID-19. Johnson’s spokesperson told the reporters the Prime Minister is still not formally doing any government work as he is recovering from COVID-19 at Chequers, his official country retreat in Buckinghamshire.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is currently standing in for Johnson and is expected to answer the questions raised by lawmakers on April 22 during the virtual parliamentary debate. The spokesperson reportedly said that the Prime Minister also sent a condolence message to his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau following the deaths in the tragic shooting incident in Canada.
Johnson was tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the last week of March and remained in self-isolation but was subsequently admitted in St. Thomas hospital on April 5 after showing persistent symptoms for COVID-19. He later issued a statement thanking the staff of the National Health Service (NHS) at the St. Thomas Hospital and said that he owes his life to the NHS staff.
Leadership crisis during pandemic
While Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is the designated deputy to Prime Minister Johnson, the questions regarding key coronavirus crisis decisions remain unanswered. Raab had suggested that Johnson will soon be back at the helm when the United Kingdom is facing an unprecedented public health crisis in the past few decades. The United Kingdom has reported over 124,743 coronavirus cases and around 15,509 deaths.
Updated 20:20 IST, April 21st 2020