Boris Johnson health: PM taken to hospital as Dominic Raab forced to step in

Raab ‘dropped his smile’ says Sam Coates

The Prime Minister had a “routine” operation on the NHS in London shortly after 6am. Few details were given by No10 about the hospital appointment, with officials eager to keep Mr Johnson’s health private.

However, his official spokesman confirmed he was unconscious for a “relatively brief period of time” after being placed under general anaesthetic.

He added that the “very minor” operation was “related to his sinuses”.

The spokesperson said: “He went to hospital around 6am and the operation was carried out first thing this morning.

“He was back in Downing Street shortly after 10am.”

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon plots to use legal loophole to hold IndyRef2

Boris Johnson was taken to hospital for an operation this morning (Image: GETTY)

The operation had been scheduled “for a while” with Downing Street refusing to discuss whether the Prime Minister had been forced to wait for months on a waiting list.

With Mr Johnson recovering from his treatment, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has been asked to step up.

“We have a Deputy Prime Minister who was aware of this in advance and the Cabinet Secretary was also aware,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.

“Should signifcant decisions need to be made, that would be for the Deputy Prime Minister at the moment.”

It is unlikely Mr Raab will be called upon but should any decisions on national security or other matters that may arise, he will be consulted along with the Cabinet Secretary on the best action to take.

Mr Johnson will take back the reigns of Government tomorrow morning when he is still expected to chair the Cabinet.

DON’T MISS:Ukrainian MP leaps to Boris Johnson’s defence and praises UK help [REACTION]Boris faces ex-pat fury if they are denied pension increases [UPDATE]Nigel Farage points to three signs of Brexit backtracking in warning [INSIGHT]

Dominic Raab will make any ‘significant’ decisions while Mr Johnson recovers (Image: PA)

The Prime Minister is still expected to chair Cabinet tomorrow (Image: PA)

His plans to travel to a Commonwealth summit in Rwanda later this week are also unaffected by the operation.

Mr Raab was last asked to deputise for Mr Johnson in the spring of 2020 when he was rushed to hospital suffering from Covid.

The Prime Minister spent a number of days in intensive care where he received oxygen treatment.

On that occasion, Mr Raab was in charge for 20 days while his boss recuperated.

Mr Raab last deputised when the Prime Minister had Covid in 2020 (Image: PA)

Mr Johnson’s sinus issue is understood to not relate to his Covid illness from 2020.

There is currently no formal provision in the UK for passing powers from the Prime Minister to a deputy if they are unable to fulfil their duties.

A private members bill, put forward by Tory MP Peter Bone, is currently being debated in Parliament to ensure there are legal mechanisms in place should the Prime Minister ever be unable to carry out their role.

The Prime Minister (Temporary Replacement) Bill says it will: “Make provision for the carrying out of the functions of the Prime Minister in the event that a Prime Minister, or a person temporarily carrying out the functions of the Prime Minister, is incapacitated”.