Prime minister Boris Johnson has returned to Downing Street following a minor surgical procedure at a London hospital, Downing Street has confirmed.
Number 10 said that the PM was admitted to hospital for a “minor routine operation related to his sinuses”, which saw him go under general anaesthetic. The operation began at 06:00 BST and the PM had returned to Number 10 by 10:00 BST.
Johnson is still expected to chair a meeting with his senior cabinet ministers on Tuesday and has not altered plans to attend a meeting of Commonwealth leaders later in the week.
However, government work will be contingent on the PM’s health following surgery and deputy PM Dominic Raab is on standby to make urgent decisions and attend meetings in Johnson’s stead, should he be required to do so.
Downing Street did not disclose the longevity of Johnson’s sinus issues, but informed reporters that the operation had been scheduled “for a while” and had taken place successfully in an NHS hospital.
Number 10 suggested that the surgery was not related to Johnson’s hospitalisation with Covid-19 in April 2020, which saw the PM spend three nights in an intensive care unit.
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