Dominic Raab still has not spoken to Boris Johnson since the Prime Minister was taken to hospital despite being asked to deputise for him and chairing a Cobra meeting this afternoon.
Speaking earlier on Thursday, Downing Street said the PM - suffering from the coronavirus - is “able to contact people if required”, but did not say how or if he is using a phone.
Asked if he had spoken to the Prime Minister 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. "We in the Government have got this covered. "I chaired the Cobra meeting that I have just come from, we are pursuing all the different strands of our strategy to defeat the