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Questions over UK power vacuum even as PM Boris Johnson ‘improves’ in ICU
Concerns continued to swirl in Westminster of a power vacuum at the top of the government with foreign secretary Dominic Raab deputising for PM Boris Johnson “where necessary”, with the extent of his powers limited.
The condition of Prime Minister Boris Johnson is improving in the intensive care unit, chancellor Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday evening, as the UK death toll from the coronavirus pandemic reached 7,097, with a record day rise of 938.
“The latest from the hospital is that the Prime Minister remains in intensive care, where his condition is improving. I can also tell you that he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team”, Sunak said.
“The Prime Minister is not only my colleague, my boss but my friend; my thoughts are with him and his family. The news about the PM reminds us how indiscriminate this disease is”, he added, as the UK entered the third week of the three-week lockdown.
Concerns continued to swirl in Westminster of a power vacuum at the top of the government with foreign secretary Dominic Raab deputising for Johnson “where necessary”, with the extent of his powers limited.
New figures showed the biggest rise so far in daily deaths by 938 to 7,097. The number of cases in hospitals also rose to 60,733, but health officials said the data showed that the number of the patients needing critical care is flattening.
Sunak announced £750 million for the charity sector and also promised to match pound-for-pound the money raised by BBC’s Big Night to raise funds for the National Emergencies Trust on April 23, committing a minimum of £20 million.
He has previously announced over £330 billion pounds to help the economy, besides picking up 80 per cent of the salary bill of the employed and self-employed sector affected by the pandemic.
Officials said Raab will not have the prime minister’s weekly audience with Queen Elizabeth, will not be able to appoint or dismiss ministers, nor take major decisions unless with the concurrence of the cabinet. Security-related questions have also been raised.
The business of government continues, officials say, with Raab chairing meetings related to the coronavirus response. The immediate major decision the new arrangement will need to take is whether the current lockdown needs to extended.
The Guardian said in an editorial: “The government now finds itself in uncharted waters, as the epidemic in Britain moves towards an anticipated peak roughly a week from now. Unfortunately, the arrangement the prime minister leaves behind is murky and potentially unstable”.
“This lack of clarity over leadership matters…But if a leadership vacuum does begin to emerge, some form of cross-party arrangement may need to be considered to ensure continuing public consent for tough decisions”.
