Boris Johnson labeled a "part-time prime minister" after delaying holding an "emergency" meeting on the coronavirus crisis until next week.

The UK prime minister has come under growing criticism for refusing to make public appearances since his election victory in December.

There have been 15 confirmed cases in the UK to date.

You can read the latest on the ongoing global crisis here.

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Boris Johnson has been labelled a "part-time prime minister" after announcing that his government's will not hold its first emergency meeting on tackling the coronavirus crisis for another three days.

The UK prime minister, who has come under growing criticism in recent weeks for refusing to visit flood-hit areas across the country, will hold a so-called emergency Cobra meeting with senior ministers and health chiefs on Monday.

"The prime minister is keen to chair Cobra on Monday to ensure that everything that can be done is being done," Johnson's spokesperson said in a statement.

The prime minister's opponents accused him of failing to effectively tackle the crisis.

"Our part-time Prime Minister needs to get a grip of this escalating situation quickly," Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said.

"It shouldn't take another 3 days for this meeting to take place."

Other opponents accused Johnson of burying his head in the sand over the crisis.

"Just like his failure to visit communities hit by flooding, on Coronavirus Johnson seems like he'd rather bury his head in the sand than hear for himself what the experts are saying and what his Ministers are doing," Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said.

15 cases of the virus have been confirmed across the UK to date and health experts are concerned that Britain's already strained health service will struggle to cope with a widespread outbreak.

The prime minister has kept a low-profile since his victory in December's general election, making few public appearances and refusing almost all interviews.

Ministers have also been banned from appearing on the BBC's flagship morning Radio 4 Today Programme due to an ongoing row with the channel, despite growing concern over the spread of the coronavirus.

"People are understandably worried. Boris Johnson should drop his childish ban on ministers appearing on BBC radio programmes," Ashworth said.

"The public deserves to hear what plans are in place to deal with the outbreak."