Coronavirus: Dominic Raab assures public he 'has it covered' while Boris Johnson is in hospital

A newly-confident Dominic Raab has asserted his authority to make crucial decisions while Boris Johnson is in hospital, saying: “We have got this covered.”

The stand-in prime minister revealed he had still not spoken with the nation’s elected leader – despite him “improving” and sitting up in bed – and suggested he had no immediate plans to do so.

“I think it’s important, particularly while he is in intensive care, to let him focus on recovery. We in the government have got this covered,” Mr Raab told the daily coronavirus press conference.

And, asked if he had the power to decide when the lockdown should be lifted, he added: “I have all the authority I need to make the relevant decisions.”

Although the foreign secretary added that it was “a team effort”, it was a strikingly more assertive performance than Mr Raab’s initial public appearances after Mr Johnson was struck down.

It appeared designed to dispel fears of a power vacuum in the prime minister’s absence, after suggestions Mr Raab will merely be a ‘first among equals”, lacking real clout.

Despite the positive news about Mr Johnson’s condition, he is likely to stay in hospital for some days – and possibly out of action for a lengthy time after that.

It came as he all-but confirmed the tough restrictions will continue past the initial three-week timeframe – expiring next week – when he said: “It’s still too early to lift the measures we have put in place.”

Earlier, Mr Raab had chaired an emergency meeting of the Cobr committee with leaders from Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, in the first big test of his stand-in leadership.

“I chaired the Cobr 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.” He said.

Mr Raab also hinted at a pay boost for the NHS staff leading the life-saving effort, saying: “There will be a moment when we look at how we formally recognise all of those on the frontline who have done so much to pull us through this very difficult period for our country.”

Elsewhere, Priti Patel, the home secretary, emerged from apparent hiding to tell Talk Radio that it was clear last Tuesday – five days before he went to hospital – that Mr Johnson was “quite frankly unwell” and needed “rest and recuperation”.

In her first public appearance for many weeks Ms Patel also said ministers were “absolutely not” considering stricter lockdown measures.

Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk