Pound plunges after Boris Johnson admitted to intensive care
The pound fell sharply against the dollar and euro this evening after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to intensive care.
The Prime Minister was permitted to St Thomas’ Hospital last night with persistent symptoms of coronavirus. He moved to intensive care at roughly 7pm this evening after his condition deteriorated, Downing Street confirmed.
The pound dropped as much as 0.3 per cent against the dollar to $1.223 and was down roughly 0.1 per cent against the euro at €1.323.
Sterling had suffered volatility after Johnson’s initial admission to hospital on Sunday night, but had been trading higher against the dollar and euro before his condition worsened.
The Prime Minister’s medical team made the decision to move him to intensive care as a precaution should he require ventilation to aid his recovery. He was conscious at the time of his admission.
“Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital,” a No 10 spokesperson said.
“The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication.”
The Prime Minister has asked foreign secretary Dominic Raab, who is the first secretary of state, to deputise for him where necessary.