London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 30, 2026

Boris Johnson 'won't self-isolate despite aide testing positive for Covid'

Boris Johnson 'won't self-isolate despite aide testing positive for Covid'

Boris Johnson won’t self-isolate despite a member of his team testing positive for Covid-19.

An aide who travelled to Scotland with the prime minister this week has reportedly been confirmed to have contracted the virus.

According to CNN, the PM continued with his tour despite the positive test among his entourage.

The person in question was with Mr Johnson on Wednesday and flew with him to Aberdeen before testing positive when they landed, an unnamed source told the broadcaster.

More than one member of the team had to go into isolation but Downing Street has confirmed Mr Johnson will not.

The Guardian claimed the pair were ‘side-by-side’ on several occasions but this has been denied by Number 10.

A Downing Street spokesperson told paper: ‘The prime minister regularly visits communities across the UK and all aspects of visits are carried out in line with covid guidance.

‘The prime minister has not come into close contact with anyone who has tested positive.’

Boris Johnson visited a number of premises on his visit to Scotland this week


It’s unclear what social-distancing measure were in place during the trip and how closely the aide was working with Mr Johnson.

From August 16, people who have received two doses of the vaccine will no longer need to self-isolate if they come into contact with a positive case.

But with 10 days to go, it remains to be seen if Mr Johnson will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace.

The confirmed positive case on his staff could risk a repeat of the U-turn after health secretary Sajid Javid caught the coronavirus.

Officials initially said the PM and chancellor Rishi Sunak would not isolate for 10 days but backed down after a fierce public backlash.

The pair were going to participate in a ‘trial study’ meaning they could be tested everyday rather than stay at home.

Mr Johnson later said in a video that he ‘did look briefly at the idea’ of avoiding self-isolation but reversed the position after just a couple of hours.

Labour Party Chief Anneliese Dodds accused the PM of ‘taking the public for fools’.

She said: ‘It’s clear the Prime Minister hasn’t learned anything from what happened last time he tried to cook up a reason to be above the rules everyone else has to follow.

‘Senior Conservatives are really taking the public for fools.

‘This is yet another example of one rule for them and another for everyone else.’

The trip to Scotland has not been the PR hit the Prime Minister might have hoped for.

He sparked fury by claiming Margaret Thatcher gave the UK a ‘big early start’ in the fight against climate change by closing mines, a deindustrialisation programme which decimated communities in the 1980s.

The comments were slammed as ‘shameful’ by Labour leader Keir Starmer, who said they amounted to ‘brushing off the devastating impact on those communities with a laugh’.

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has also criticised Mr Johnson for declining to meet with her to discuss post-pandemic recovery during the visit.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Officials Highlight 80 Years of Diplomatic Relations With Philippines
Heavy Rain Disrupts Parts of England After Weeks of Extreme Summer Heat
More Than 200 Extra Police Officers Deployed Across Cleveland After Violent Incidents
Burnham Meets Northern Ireland Leaders for Talks on Economy and Youth Employment
Burnham to Abstain From UK Assisted Dying Vote
NHS Leaders Warn of Severe Financial and Staffing Pressures Ahead of Autumn
UK Treasury Prepares October Budget as Defense and Public Spending Pressures Mount
Scottish Government Publishes Draft Bill for Second Independence Referendum
Royal Navy Tracks Russian Warships and Sanctioned Vessels in 72-Hour Operation
UK and Ukraine Agree AI-Focused Defense Technology Partnership
US Reportedly Weighs Falkland Islands Policy Shift to Pressure UK Over NATO Spending
UK Government Mobilizes Emergency Aid as British Nationals Remain Missing After Nepal Floods
UK Hospitality Industry Reports Stronger Summer Trading but Seeks Tax Relief
Reform UK Proposes £30 Tax Credit for Long HMRC Helpline Waits
Labour Debates Caps on Political Donations Ahead of Future Elections
England Accelerates Housing and Planning Reforms Amid Affordability Crisis
NHS Expands Walk-In Community Health Centers to 40 Locations
UK Regulators Expect Meta to Apply Stronger Child Safety Standards Globally
UK Groups Demand Faster Transport Decarbonization After Extreme Summer Weather
UK Launches 10,000 Work Experience Placements as Youth Unemployment Concerns Rise
UK Government Faces Difficult Autumn Budget Choices Over Defense, Spending and Taxes
UK Government Rejects Calls to Slow AI Data Center Expansion
IMF Raises UK Growth Forecast to 1% Despite Global Supply Chain Risks
UK Unsecured Loan Defaults Reach Highest Level Since 2009
UK Energy Price Cap to Rise 4% to Three-Year High of £1,723
More Than 30 Britons Reported Missing After Deadly Nepal-Tibet Floods
Royal Navy Tracks Russian Warships and Sanctioned Vessels in 72-Hour Operation
Police Intensify Investigation Into Organised Crime-Linked Violence in Middlesbrough
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Revenue and Tax Pressures, Federation Says
M&G Real Estate Buys West Sussex Affordable Housing Portfolio for £29 Million
Royal Navy Warship HMS Tamar Visits Cambodia for Regional Security Engagement
UK Government Brings Forward Benefit Payments Ahead of August Bank Holiday
Four Men Plead Guilty to Arson Attack on Jewish Community Ambulances in North London
Ofgem Raises Great Britain’s Household Energy Price Cap by Four Percent From October
UK Government Rejects Green Party Call for Artificial Intelligence Datacentre Moratorium
Millions of UK Benefit Recipients Receive Payments Early Ahead of August Bank Holiday
UK Prime Minister Meets Northern Ireland Leaders in Belfast Over Budget Crisis
Crypto Tax Gains Reach One Point Three Eight Billion Pounds Among UK Investors, HMRC Data Shows
UK Corporate Confidence Rises to Highest Level Since March, Lloyds Survey Shows
Mike Ashley Attacks UK Government Business Rates and Cost-of-Living Policies
Scottish Universities Face Two Hundred Million Pound Annual Funding Gap, Report Warns
Entertainment Figures Urge UK Government to Protect People From AI Voice Cloning
Manchester Airports Group Confirms Customer Data Breached in Cyberattack
Seven Charged Over Vandalism at Donald Trump’s Turnberry Golf Resort in Scotland
Nearly 23,000 UK Households Expected to Move Home on Busiest Day of 2026
UK Benefit Payments to Arrive Early Ahead of August Bank Holiday
Reform UK Pledges to Replace GDPR and Cut Tax Administration Red Tape
Andy Burnham Launches Work Experience Plan for One Million Young People Outside Education or Work
Andy Burnham Faces Labour Backlash After Dropping Support for Political Donations Cap
Andy Burnham Announces UK-Wide Summit With Leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
×