London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Nov 23, 2025

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
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
Zelenskyy Signals Progress Toward Ending the War: ‘One of the Hardest Moments in History’ (end of his business model?)
U.S. Issues Alert Declaring Venezuelan Airspace a Hazard Due to Escalating Security Conditions
The U.S. State Department Announces That Mass Migration Constitutes an Existential Threat to Western Civilization and Undermines the Stability of Key American Allies
Students Challenge AI-Driven Teaching at University of Staffordshire
Pikeville Medical Center Partners with UK’s Golisano Children’s Network to Expand Pediatric Care
Germany, France and UK Confirm Full Support for Ukraine in US-Backed Security Plan
UK Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods Face Rising Backlash as Pandemic Schemes Unravel
UK Records Coldest Night of Autumn as Sub-Zero Conditions Sweep the Country
UK at Risk of Losing International Doctors as Workforce Exodus Grows, Regulator Warns
ASU Launches ASU London, Extending Its Innovation Brand to the UK Education Market
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Visit China in January as Diplomatic Reset Accelerates
Google Launches Voluntary Buyouts for UK Staff Amid AI-Driven Company Realignment
UK braces for freezing snap as snow and ice warnings escalate
Majority of UK Novelists Fear AI Could Displace Their Work, Cambridge Study Finds
UK's Carrier Strike Group Achieves Full Operational Capability During NATO Drill in Mediterranean
Trump and Mamdani to Meet at the White House: “The Communist Asked”
Nvidia Again Beats Forecasts, Shares Jump in After-Hours Trading
Wintry Conditions Persist Along UK Coasts After Up to Seven Centimetres of Snow
UK Inflation Eases to 3.6 % in October, Opening Door for Rate Cut
UK Accelerates Munitions Factory Build-Out to Reinforce Warfighting Readiness
UK Consumer Optimism Plunges Ahead of November Budget
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
Caribbean Reparations Commission Seeks ‘Mutually Beneficial’ Justice from UK
EU Insists UK Must Contribute Financially for Access to Electricity Market and Broader Ties
UK to Outlaw Live-Event Ticket Resales Above Face Value
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
×