The hospitalisation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the new coronavirus Covid-19 has highlighted the fact that the UK does not have a deputy prime minister.
Mr Johnson has been ill for two weeks and has been in hospital since Sunday - moving to intensive care on Monday.
He has deputized some of his duties to First Minister of State Dominic Raab, but remains in charge of the Government and the country.
As the UK has a cabinet system of government rather than the US presidential system, the Prime Minister has been described as 'first among equals'.
But his absence has raised questions over command and control, and decision making at the top of Government.
Questions have also been asked over why Boris Johnson does not have a deputy.
But in fact, the UK has not had a deputy since 2015.
And the position was only created in 1942 - with the UK having had just eight deputy prime ministers.
The post is not required in law, and as has been shown the Prime Minister can deputies to another in his cabinet without having a deputy.
The country's first deputy prime minister was Clement Attlee, and the position has also been held by Anthony Eden, Geoffrey Howe, Michael Heseltine, John Prescott and most recently Nick Clegg.
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