Carrie Symonds thanked NHS workers on Thursday night after Boris Johnson was moved out of intensive care.
The Prime Minister was moved back on to a normal ward at St Thomas’ Hospital after three days in intensive care, Downing Street announced. He was said to be in ‘extremely good spirits’.
A spokesman said he would ‘receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery’.
On Thursday night, his pregnant fiancee Miss Symonds posted a picture on social media of a rainbow – which has become synonymous with hope in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. She captioned it with applause just as the nation was taking part in the weekly ‘clap for NHS carers’ event.
On March 9 the couple attended an event together in London at Westminster Abbey
On Thursday night Carrie Symonds tweeted this picture of a rainbow and clapping hands
Ms Symonds had been isolating with her dog (pictured above), she usually lives with the Prime Minister in 10 Downing Street in London
Mr Johnson’s father Stanley said last night he was feeling ‘deeply relieved’.
Mr Johnson, 79, told the Mail: ‘On behalf of all of the members of the family, we are indeed deeply relieved that he seems to be moving in the right direction – though we recognise that there is still a long journey to full recovery.’
Referring to last night’s ‘Claps for Carers’, he added: ‘It is not just the wonderful work the NHS is doing in the service of Boris, but the fantastic effort they are making in the country as a whole. I wholeheartedly applauded them all at 8pm and I know in my local town there was a cacophony of pans clashing and people clapping.’
A No 10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring. He is in extremely good spirits.’
Boris Johnson’s condition is improving – and he may even have been able to speak to his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds (right), though Downing Street have not confirmed this
The Prime Minister was transferred out of intensive care shortly after 6pm. He was admitted to the ICU on Monday evening.
A No 10 source said there was a ‘palpable sense of relief’ at the move in Downing Street. ‘We are all just hoping he carries on getting better in the next few days,’ the source added.
Home Secretary Priti Patel last night revealed that the PM had looked ‘unwell’ during a virtual Cabinet meeting a week ago.
‘It was clear quite, frankly, he was unwell and he needed to get rest and recuperation,’ she told Talk Radio. ‘He is one that’s been working flat out leading this. We now need to give him the time and space to recover.’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) has not seen his partner Carrie Symonds (left) for weeks after they were both forced to isolate
Her remarks suggest that Mr Johnson was far sicker than Downing Street had let on after officials insisted he would need to self-isolate for only seven days.
It also raises questions about why the Prime Minister continued to lead the Government while he was struggling to battle the virus.
Speaking at yesterday’s daily Downing Street press conference, Mr Johnson’s deputy, Dominic Raab, said: ‘The Prime Minister… continues to make positive steps forward and he’s in good spirits.’ Asked if he could take the major decisions required in Mr Johnson’s absence, he replied that it was a ‘team effort’.
‘I’ve got all the authority I need to make the relevant decisions – whether it’s through chairing Cabinet updates, chairing Cobra, or indeed the morning meetings of senior ministers,’ he said. Asked if he had spoken to the PM since taking over his responsibilities, Mr Raab said: ‘Not yet, I think it’s important, particularly while he’s in intensive care, to let him focus on the recovery.’
Dominic Raab (pictured clapping for carers on Thursday night) said Mr Johnson needed to focus on his recovery
Mr Raab took part in the weekly ‘Claps for Carers’ in the Prime Minister’s place, which the spokesman said had been providing ‘wonderful, unifying moments’ for the country. Mr Johnson was last seen in public clapping for NHS workers in Downing Street last Thursday before his admission to hospital three days later.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted last night: ‘So good that the Prime Minister is out of intensive care and on the road to recovery. The NHS is there for us all and I know our amazing NHS staff have given him their characteristic world-class care.’
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith tweeted: ‘Fantastic news that the PM has been moved from intensive care back to the ward at St Thomas’ Hospital and is in good spirits!’
Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted that it was ‘so good’ that the PM was out of intensive care
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith tweeted that it was ‘fantastic news’ the PM was out of intensive care