: Boris Johnson forced to self-isolate after Covid contact in crunch week for Brexit

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson wearing a face mask

jeremy selwyn/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Britain’s Prime Minister is being forced to self-isolate after coming into contact with a politician who has tested positive for coronavirus, in a vital week that could determine whether the key Brexit trade deal will be agreed with the European Union.

Boris Johnson, who tweeted that he has no symptoms, has been previously admitted to hospital earlier this year after being diagnosed with coronavirus where he fought for his life in intensive care. In October President Trump was taken to hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.

Read: President Trump says he has tested positive for coronavirus

On Sunday evening the Prime Minister said he would continue to work from 10 Downing Street and follow the rules after being notified by the contact tracing unit of the health service called NHS Test and Trace.

He had come into contact with Lee Anderson, a Conservative Party politician who has been at a meeting with Johnson in Downing Street on Thursday. Anderson subsequently developed symptoms and tested positive for the virus.

The setback for Johnson will see him self-isolate in a key week which will see EU leaders meet for a virtual summit on Thursday. This is seen by many as the deadline to agree a draft trade deal for Brexit.

Read: Opinion: Here’s what Joe Biden’s win means for Brexit and the U.K.’s ‘special relationship’

The Prime Minister is also due to give a keynote speech on the environment setting out plans to reduce carbon emissions, and he has hoped to spend this week building bridges with politicians within his own party after replacing some of his closest advisers and hoping to reset relationships.

On Sunday a spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “He will carry on working from Downing Street, including on leading the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic,” the spokesman said. “The prime minister will follow the rules and is self-isolating.”

Last week Boris Johnson was the second world leader to receive a call from President-elect Joe Biden. 

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November 16, 2020 at 06:03PM

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