The UK Prime Minister was rushed into intensive care in a London hospital on Monday evening after his coronavirus symptoms “worsened", according to the British government.

A spokesman said Boris Johnson was taken there on the advice of his medical team and was receiving “excellent care.”

The Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been asked to deputise “where necessary,” the spokesman added.

A Downing Street statement read: “The prime minister has been under the care of doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, after being admitted with persistent symptoms of coronavirus.

“Over the course of [Monday] afternoon, the condition of the prime minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the intensive care unit at the hospital.

“The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication.”

Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, has been asked to deputise for Mr Johnson “where necessary,” said the spokesman. 

On her blog, Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC’s political editor, writes: “Something important has changed, and he has felt it necessary to ask his foreign secretary to deputise for him where needs be.

“That is a completely different message from what we have heard over the past 18 hours or so, where it was continually "the prime minister is in touch" and "he is in charge" - almost like everything is business as usual.

“But clearly being in intensive care changes everything.”

The pound fell against the dollar and euro on Monday evening after the announcement about the PM’s worsening condition was made.

Sterling dropped as much as 0.3% against the dollar to $1.223 and was down about 0.1% against the euro at €1.323.

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