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  • take a listen to the message from the prime minister, which he posted on his Twitter account in the last few minutes.

  • Hi facts.

  • I want to bring you up to speed with something that's happening today, which is that I've developed mild symptoms off the Corona virus.

  • That's to say, a temperature and a persistent cough on on the advice of the chief medical officer, I've taken a test that has come out positive, So I am working from home.

  • I'm self isolating Andi.

  • That's entirely the right thing to do.

  • But be in no doubt that I can continue our thanks to the wizardry of modern technology to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fight back against Corona virus, and I want to thank everybody who's involved.

  • I want to think that, of course, above all our amazing NHS staff.

  • It was very moving last night to join in that national clap for the NHS.

  • But it's not just the NHS.

  • It's our police, our social care workers, teachers, everybody who works in schools, the DWP staff, amazing national effort by the public services, but also by every member of the British public who's volunteering.

  • Incredible response.

  • 600,000 people have volunteered to take part in a great national effort to protect people from the consequences of Corona virus on thank you.

  • I would think everybody who's working to keep our country going through this epidemic and we will get through it and the way we're gonna get through it is, of course, by applying the measures that you have heard so much about Andi, the more effectively we all comply with those measures, the faster our country will come through this epidemic and the faster will will bounce back.

  • So thank you to everybody who's doing what I'm doing working from home to stop the spread of the virus from household to household.

  • That's the way we're going to win.

  • We're gonna beat it.

  • I'm gonna beat it together, stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

  • So the prime minister giving the news they're off his own positive test for Corona virus, saying that he developed a temperature on a cough, mild symptoms on on the advice of the chief medical officer, he took a test and it has come back positive but typically confident and positive expressing his thanks to NHS staff expressing his thanks and to the country ondas his confidence that the country would overcome theme virus.

  • Let's talk now to James Forsyth, who is a spectator columnist.

  • James Forsyth.

  • Thanks so much for joining us.

  • You will have seen and heard that video of the prime minister.

  • Your immediate reaction.

  • I think every game you said it is a classically Boris Johnson, very positive, but obviously he's going to need the government's response.

  • But I think they'll be a lot of concern in Whitehall because obviously he has being in contact with many of the key figures for dealing with this crisis in the past few days.

  • Until it does, undoubtedly does complicate being born a government level.

  • Andi, he obviously you said he was positive there.

  • I mean, he said his symptoms were mild on coming.

  • Just just talking for a moment longer about the Prime Minister himself and his health.

  • He does look in that video well, and he does sound well.

  • So I suppose while the concerns that you express about the wider infections that might be going on in terms of his own personal health, he looks in good shape.

  • Yeah, I think it's important if the public health advice is anyone with the temperature and a court must out like they book 14 days when the punished himself has obviously got to follow that he can't carry on going to work when he's telling everybody else not.

  • I think a lot of stuff in Whitehall is already happening remotely.

  • You don't having Cabinet meetings happening on do something Only any other big sport would have happened before.

  • He knows there's there, they'll there are ways to deal with that into concern will be on this was This is being the concern for quite some time now is what happened.

  • If this infection spread throughout Whitehall, how much more difficult that made the government job?

  • Well, let's talk then about that in more detail because until recently the prime minister has been conducting those news conferences with a large number of journalists in the room.

  • Of course, Pete, some of our audience may not feel that journalists are critical workers, but then, obviously his aides inside Downing Street, the chief medical officer, the chief scientific adviser.

  • There are a lot of key people in the battle who he has been working within very close proximity to as we've all seen over recent days.

  • Yeah.

  • I mean, I have a question become, you know, I think they as far possible.

  • I have tried to follow the social distance thing guys like, if you look again, that cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

  • Yes.

  • The house sex in my ankle was physically present in the room, but I think you know, he's a good six feet away from the dominant value.

  • Yes, the violence on the dance floor, very standing outside number 10 last night, clapping any test off, But again, I think they were the appropriate six feet away from each other.

  • So I think they're gonna believe in the question becomes how wide?

  • But is this infection in white or Indian?

  • There already have bean some number 10 star selfies racing because they have symptoms.

  • I mean, there will be the warriors about whether this is whether this could This could just make things even more difficult.

  • Is the government trying to handle what is undoubtedly one of the biggest peacetime challenges this country is?

  • Andi?

  • If the prime minister becomes unable to lead the effort due to any worsening of symptoms Ben, the rolled the duties fall upon Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary.

  • It is, as we understand from earlier this week, his role to step up Should he be needed.

  • Years of sexual estate has been foreign secretary, and that means the department incapacitation or any time you he essentially act as the acting prime minister.

  • Andi dominant Rob himself.

  • You know, this would be a huge accretion of duties to him.

  • Yeah, you know, over there would be.

  • And he I mean, ironically, he and Belle has already be invested.

  • They're going to bars and tested negative.

  • I think it would obviously be made more difficult.

  • Government, especially because boys are very much being the face of the government's reforms.

  • Great about you.

  • How these thes regular press conferences.

  • It's bean his tone, his addresses to the nation that you have that that have been in the 100 homes to communicate with the public.

  • So that was that.

  • Dominic Raab.

take a listen to the message from the prime minister, which he posted on his Twitter account in the last few minutes.

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