Boris Johnson has had quite an April, even aside from leading the country during the worst pandemic for more than a century.
With a spell in intensive care with life-threatening coronavirus symptoms at the start of the month and the birth of a son in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the demands of his political office have temporarily had to take a back seat at a moment of national crisis.
Johnson has only been back in Downing Street since Monday, after being admitted to hospital on 5 April following 10 days of worsening coronavirus symptoms, followed by two weeks of recuperation at Chequers.
He will now miss his first appearance in the Commons, for prime minister’s questions, in a month, after his spokesman confirmed Carrie Symonds, his fiancee, had given birth to a boy in a London hospital.
While the congratulations flow in for the new family, the next question will be whether Johnson takes a further two weeks of paternity leave, at a time when crucial decisions need to be taken imminently about the UK’s strategy for easing the lockdown.
Even if he does return to work sooner than he might have planned, the presence of a new baby in Downing Street will only add to the demands on the prime minister, who has been warned not to overdo things during his recovery from the virus.
The birth of a baby – as well as sympathy for his severe illness - is likely to create a degree of goodwill towards Johnson among a large section of the public.
The UK government has said that these five tests have to be met before they will consider easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions:
- The NHS has sufficient capacity to provide critical care and specialist treatment right across the UK
- A sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from Coronavirus
- Reliable data to show that the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board
- Operational challenges including testing and personal protective equipement (PPE) are in hand with supply able to meet future demand
- Confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelms the NHS
Any bounce in the polls for the Conservatives will no doubt be welcomed by Downing Street. However, the dilemma for the prime minister will be how far to concentrate on his recuperation and family life at a time when the government is in dire need of some decision-making and direction.
Public opinion has so far been largely supportive of the government, with surveys showing majority backing for Johnson’s actions despite criticism from academics and medics that it was too slow to impose lockdown.
However, No 10 knows that the next few weeks will be crucial as ministers seek a difficult balance between limiting pressure on the NHS and unwinding social distancing rules, and advisers are well aware that goodwill can evaporate quickly if leaders are not perceived to be leading during a crisis.
