Boris Johnson was forced into self-isolation on Sunday night just as he embarked on a crucial week designed to restore calm and project an air of competence after a vicious No 10 turf war.
There were concerns that Covid-19 had returned to Downing Street as the result of a 35-minute meeting between the prime minister and a group of Tory MPs at No 10, one of whom subsequently tested positive for the virus.
Johnson was pictured standing next to Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, inside Downing Street on Thursday. The men appear to be less than 2 metres apart and neither is wearing a mask.
With a decision due as early as this week on whether a Brexit deal with the EU is achievable, a Downing Street spokesperson had been forced to insist on Sunday that the prime minister would not "veer off course" after days of turmoil.
He was also planning to work on England's emergence from national lockdown restrictions in two weeks' time, after Sage (the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) warned that a return to the tiered system of controls would let the virus surge again before Christmas.
Boris Johnson forced to self-isolate again as crucial week begins
PM’s plan to try to take back control after days of chaos put in peril by news he had met MP later found to be Covid-positive
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