Boris Johnson will lead today's daily press conference - here's how to watch

By Finlay Greig
Published 30th Apr 2020, 11:22 BST
Updated 30th Apr 2020, 11:25 BST
Boris Johnson has not held a daily press briefing since he tested positive for coronavirus (Getty Images)Boris Johnson has not held a daily press briefing since he tested positive for coronavirus (Getty Images)
Boris Johnson has not held a daily press briefing since he tested positive for coronavirus (Getty Images)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold today’s daily press briefing for the first time since he tested positive for coronavirus.

The press conference will come a day after Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds announced the birth of a baby boy.

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Number 10 have said that the Prime Minister will provide an update on the "fight against this disease and the steps we are taking to defeat it".

The daily briefings were introduced in response to calls for improved communication from the government on their plan to tackle the spread of Covid-19, and give the nation the latest updates on the pandemic.

When do the daily press briefings take place?

In general the press briefings take place between 4pm and 6pm, with the majority of previous meetings tending to start just after 5pm on weekdays and at 2.30pm on weekends.

A number 10 spokesperson said that they would like to “see [the briefings held at] a consistent time.”

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Who will be holding today's press conference?

There is no confirmation yet on who will be joining the Prime Minister at the daily press briefing.

Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance have both featured regularly alongside the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers who have stood in for Mr Johnson in recent weeks.

A number of cabinet ministers have stood in for Mr Johnson, including Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak, Matt Hancock, Dominic Raab and Robert Jenrick.

Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries and Head of NHS England Simon Stevens have also been regular features.

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Where can I watch the press briefings?

The daily press briefings will be available to watch live on BBC News.

You can watch online through BBC iPlayer here, while Sky News has a live YouTube stream here.

What happened at yesterday's briefing?

On Wednesday Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab revealed that the total coronavirus death toll in the UK has reached over 26,000.

He said: "Those figures show that up to yesterday we recorded an additional 3,811 deaths in total," he said, stressing that these deaths were since the start of the outbreak and did  not represent a surge in recent days.”

Coronavirus: the facts

What is coronavirus?

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can affect lungs and airways. It is caused by a virus called coronavirus, and started in Wuhan in China in December 2019.

What are the symptoms?