PRIME Minister Boris Johnson has spent the night in intensive care after his condition worsened yesterday afternoon.

A Downing Street spokesperson said Mr Johnson had been moved to the intensive care unit at London's St Thomas' Hospital on the advice of his medical team on Monday.

Mr Johnson is understood to be conscious and was moved to intensive care at about 7pm as a precaution should he require ventilation to aid his recovery.

"The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication," Downing Street said.

"The PM has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is the First Secretary of State, to deputise for him where necessary."

The Prime Minister was admitted to hospital on Sunday with continuing coronavirus symptoms, as ministers resisted pressure to set out an “exit strategy” from the lockdown.

Earlier Downing Street, which had previously described his symptoms as “mild”, switched to describing them as “persistent”.

They included a cough as well as a continuing high temperature, 10 days after he first tested positive for the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the latest official figures showed 5,373 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Sunday – and increase of 439 on the previous day.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman had previously said Mr Johnson had been taken to hospital on the advice of his doctor and as a “precaution”, and that it was not an emergency admission.