Donald Trump says Boris Johnson is ‘ready to go’ amid claims Prime Minister will return to work on Monday
Donald Trump said he was surprised by how well Boris Johnson sounded when they spoke on the phone (PA)
2 min read
Donald Trump has said Boris Johnson sounded "incredible" when they spoke on the phone - as it emerged the Prime Minister could return to work on Monday.
The US President said he was surprised by how well Mr Johnson seemed after he spent three nights in intensive care with coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the PM was "on the mend in a big way" as he continues his recuperation at Chequers.
President Trump said: "He called me a few days ago, I will tell you, he sounded incredible. I was actually surprised, I thought he’d be like ‘ohh Donald’. He was ready to go.
"I’m very surprised to tell you this, it’s like the old Boris - tremendous energy, tremendous drive. I was very surprised."
He added: "Because he called me almost pretty close to when he got out of the hospital, I think he's doing great.
"He was so sharp and energetic, pretty incredible. He's an incredible guy. He's a friend of ours and a friend of mine, he loves our country, and he loves his country a lot. And they're lucky to have him over there."
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Hancock said he had spoken to Mr Johnson on Thursday.
He said: “He’s cheerful, he’s ebullient and he’s definitely on the mend in a big way.
"When exactly he comes back is up to him and his doctors. Of course he has to be better, but I think the whole country is looking forward to him being back."
Their comments came after the Telegraph quoted a source close to the PM as saying: “He’s not the sort of person who is very good at doing nothing. In truth, he has been working pretty much full time for the past week.
“The fact that he had a telephone audience with the Queen on Wednesday night shows you that he considers himself to be fit for duty.”
Number 10 has insisted that the Prime Minister will not return to work full time until he has been given the all-clear by his medical team.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
