Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

The government has said throughout this crisis that ministers are being guided by the latest science.

Every morning they hold a call with top medical and scientific experts - dubbed the "war cabinet".

Dominic Raab chaired that meeting this morning and will continue to do so while the PM is in hospital.

There won't be any change to the strategy.

But what Boris Johnson has done is told his foreign secretary to make the big decisions while he can't.

That is likely to involve taking responsibility on matters like security and foreign affairs, and, as foreign secretary, Mr Raab has experience on this front.

But Mr Raab, if necessary, will have to make big calls about the government's reaction to this crisis.

And that could involve financial decisions.

Tory MPs I've been speaking to in the last hour are in a state of shock, while cabinet ministers were briefed this evening on a conference call.

The political world is unsurprisingly united tonight in wishing Boris Johnson a speedy recovery.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in intensive care, which is where ventilators are used. He is not currently on a ventilator, but here's an explanation of how they work.

A ventilator takes over the body's breathing process when disease has caused the lungs to fail.

This gives the patient time to fight off the infection and recover.

Various types of medical ventilation can be used.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Theresa Villiers, who was serving in the cabinet alongside Dominic Raab until February, told BBC Radio 5 Live the foreign secretary now faces a "daunting challenge”.

She says that he will be reassured that in his current role he will have had to take “very similar sensitive decisions”.

But she adds: “Even with that experience under his belt, it will be a daunting situation he’s tackling as the prime minister’s deputy."

While the White House hasn't formally responded to news that Boris Johnson is in intensive care, Donald Trump's daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump, has tweeted that her "thoughts and prayers" are with Mr Johnson.

Mr Trump had expressed his best wishes to Mr Johnson on Sunday, when the PM had been hospitalised, but was not yet in intensive care. "All Americans are praying for him; he's a friend of mine and a great gentleman," he said during a press briefing.

Image source, Getty Images

It is not common for a political leader to be hospitalised with a serious condition preventing him or her from running the country.

The last time this happened in the UK was October 2003 when Prime Minister Tony Blair was taken ill with concerns about his heart. He was kept in hospital for nearly five hours, and was sedated for 20 minutes for a procedure called cardioversion.

He returned fully to work two days after hospital admission. The foreign secretary at the time gave a statement to the House of Commons in place of the prime minister.

And in 1983, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had an hour-long eye operation to reattach the damaged retina of her right eye.

Famously, Prime Minister Anthony Eden suffered long-term ill health, and in 1957 resigned due to his gall bladder condition.

Mrs May was the UK's prime minister before Boris Johnson took over in July 2019.

Well wishes have also come from Ireland's deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney, and Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez.

Mr Sanchez's tweet reads: "My solidarity and wishes for a speedy recovery for the Prime Minister Boris Johnson. These are difficult days for our countries, but with strength and unity we will be able to win this battle. A hug to all the British people."

Image source, EPA

Last night, the Queen was on our screens sending a message of comfort to the public during the coronavirus crisis.

Now she is hearing the news her prime minister has been moved into intensive care.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman says she is being been kept informed by Downing Street about Boris Johnson’s condition.

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

Intensive care is where doctors look after the sickest patients – so Boris Johnson's admission to ICU is the clearest indication of how ill the prime minister is.

We do not know the full details of his condition, but we have been told he is conscious and not being ventilated.

Not every patient in intensive care is ventilated, but around two-thirds are within 24 hours of admission with Covid-19.

This is a disease that attacks the lungs and can cause pneumonia and difficulty breathing.

This leaves the body struggling to get enough oxygen into the blood and to the body’s vital organs.

There is no proven drug treatment for Covid-19, although there are many experimental candidates.

But the cornerstone of the prime minister’s care will depend on getting enough oxygen into his body and supporting his other organs while his immune system fights the virus.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Sir Gus O'Donnell, who served as the UK's top civil servant under three British PMs, says Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will have to take decisions, with the cabinet, in Boris Johnson's absence.

He says ideally important decisions would be deferred, but in these fast-moving times, "I suspect some decisions will have to be made".

He adds that in his experience, if prime ministers were away, they would want to be informed if "something serious came up".

“They did not want the decisions delegated because they knew they’d have to live with the consequences," he adds.

But he says in this case “clearly he needs to rest”, and others should take over the government's response to the virus.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tells the BBC he will deputise for the PM "where necessary in driving forward the government's plans to defeat coronavirus".

He says Boris Johnson has been receiving "excellent care" at St Thomas' Hospital in London and says the government wants to thank all NHS staff across the country for the work they are doing during the outbreak.

Asked by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg how worried the public should be about a functioning government, Mr Raab says the focus will continue to be on making sure the "prime minister's direction and all the plans for making sure we can defeat coronavirus and pull the country through this challenge will be taken forward".

He adds: "There is an incredibly strong team spirit behind the prime minister and making sure that we get all of the plans that the prime minister has instructed us to deliver... implemented as soon as possible."

The French president has tweeted his reaction to the news.

Emmanuel Macron's tweet, in French, reads: "My full support for Boris Johnson, his family and the British people at this difficult time. I hope he overcomes this ordeal quickly."

Political leaders and their predecessors across the UK are joining the swell of good wishes for Boris Johnson.

Former Tory PM David Cameron tweeted: "You are in great hands and we all want you safe, well and back in 10 Downing Street."

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his thoughts were with the PM and his family, adding: "Thanks to the NHS staff for their hard work and dedication.”

His successor, Sir Keir Starmer, tweeted: "Terribly sad news. All the country’s thoughts are with the prime minister and his family during this incredibly difficult time."

Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster tweeted: “On behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive, I send our best wishes to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Praying for a full and speedy recovery.”

And Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said it was "concerning news", adding: "My thoughts are with him and his family."

With news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now in intensive care with coronavirus, you might be wondering how the infection affects the body.

While most people experience mild symptoms, the virus can seriously compromise a patient's health. When the disease progresses, it is due to the immune system overreacting to the virus. Inflammation of the lungs is called pneumonia.

Read more here.

Andrew Murrison, a Tory MP, has been speaking to BBC News. He said: "Boris has been working heroically over the past seven days despite his deteriorating condition. He is an extraordinary man and I am very sure he is going to pull through from this."

He said the latest news was "devastating" but added: "I don't think we should jump to any conclusions. I suspect the doctors will want to monitor him closely in the way that is only really possible on ICU.

"I know he's in the very best of hands at St Thomas' and of course we all wish him well for a speedy recovery."

Asked whether the PM should've stepped back from duties earlier to focus on recovery, Mr Murrison, who is a doctor, said: "That's not the nature of the man. He's a selfless individual with a very strong sense of public service so I don't think it would be in his nature to step back."

The UK does not have a formal constitutional role of a deputy or caretaker prime minister to step in if he or she is incapacitated, says the Institute for Government (IoG).

However, the prime minister usually designates someone to perform his duties, were something to happen.

At the beginning of the outbreak, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was announced as the UK's "designated survivor". Downing Street has confirmed he is now taking charge where he is needed.

The IoG says, were a prime minister to die in office and there was a majority government (as there is now), it would be up to the cabinet to recommend an immediate successor to the Queen.

But we are nowhere near that point, with No 10 saying Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care as a precaution.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to intensive care in London's St Thomas hospital on Monday evening, officials said.

Here's a summary of what we know:

• Mr Johnson, who is 55, was admitted to hospital on Sunday night, after experiencing coronavirus symptoms for 10 days
• After his symptons worsened on Monday, he was admitted to intensive care "as a precaution" - he is said to be conscious

• Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb will deputise, running the government in Mr Johnson's absence
• A tweet on the prime minister's account earlier on Monday said he was in "good spirits" and in touch with "his team"
• Mr Johnson's partner Carrie Symonds, who is pregnant, is currently recovering from coronavirus symptoms
• British politicans and international leaders have sent their best wishes to the prime minister, including Labour leader Keir Starmer, who tweeted "[this is] terribly sad news. My thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his family during this incredibly difficult time"

Well wishes have been coming in from all sides of the political spectrum in the UK after the news Boris Johnson has been moved into intensive care.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak tweeted: “My thoughts tonight are with Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds [the PM's fiancee]. I know he’ll be getting the best care possible and will come out of this even stronger.”

Scotland's First Minister and leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon, tweeted: “My thoughts are with the PM and his family – sending him every good wish.”

The Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, tweeted that he was "praying for the prime minister’s swift recovery". He said St Thomas' Hospital has "some of the finest medical staff in the world", adding "he couldn’t be in safer hands”.

Lib Dem MP Layla Moran tweeted: "My thoughts are with Boris Johnson, Carrie Symonds and anyone who is or whose family is in a bad way due to Covid-19". She said it "must be so scary", before adding: "I hope the government can now stop this pretence that all is fine and concentrate on getting him well and reassure the country."

And Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage tweeted: "I hope and pray for Boris Johnson to come through this ordeal quickly."

We reported earlier that Austria is considering lifting some of its coronavirus restrictions.

Now Denmark has announced plans to re-open nurseries and primary schools from next week, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says.

However, it will only happen if the number of current infections remains constant and if people respect existing restrictions, she warned.

BBC News Channel

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith says he is "shocked" at the news Boris Johnson has been moved into intensive care.

He tells BBC News: "He is a friend and, as prime minister, it is a bad moment. It is a bad moment for anybody.

"I am deeply saddened it should have come to this."

Sir Iain says the PM has "obviously worked like mad to come through this and it has not worked so far".

But he adds it "doesn't mean he won't pull through this".

He tells us: "Let's hope and pray that Boris will pull through."