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Boris Johnson is stable and "responding to treatment" on his third day in intensive care, the Prime Minister's spokesman said today.

Downing Street said there was no deterioration in the Tory leader's condition after he spent a second night in the critical unit at St Thomas' Hospital.

In a noon update on Wednesday, No10 said he is receiving "standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance."

Mr Johnson's official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister remains clinically stable and is responding to treatment.

“He continues to be cared for in the intensive care unit at St Thomas’ Hospital. He is in good spirits.”

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

But unlike on Monday the PM is not working from hospital - and his deputy Dominic Raab is now standing in for him across the board.

The PM is now on his 12th day of coronavirus symptoms and was taken to the London hospital with a cough and high temperature on Sunday night.

Downing Street today refused to comment on reports that his temperature had gone down yesterday.

"You know my view on the use of anonymous sources to speculate on the condition of people who are in intensive care," the PM's spokesman said.

"The information in the update we have provided was given to us by St Thomas' Hospital, and it contains all the information which the Prime Minister's medical team consider to be clinically relevant."

(Image: Getty Images) (Image: Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

However, No10 said yesterday Mr Johnson has not been diagnosed with pneumonia and is not on a ventilator.

Experts said it was a hopeful sign that the Prime Minister was not needing to be ventilated, which is a sign of the most serious complications from Covid-19.

Downing Street said "clinically stable" means the same thing as "stable".

Mr Johnson's spokesman said he was "hugely grateful for the messages of support" from the public.

The spokesman also revealed Downing Street cat Larry is not being isolated - despite the BVA advising pets from infected households to stay indoors "if the cat is happy to be kept indoors."

The spokesman said: “Larry’s absolutely fine, I’ve seen him myself this morning, he’s going about his business in the usual way.”

The update came amid claims the UK is "nowhere near" coming out of coronavirus lockdown.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said the peak of the illness is still a week and a half away.

Boris Johnson originally said the ban on leaving home without good reason would be reviewed after three weeks - which expire at the end of the Easter weekend.

But the government has now made clear it will last for longer - and health minister Edward Argar today admitted "I don't know" when it will end.

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The key factor to decide when the lockdown is listed will be when new cases each day "peak" and start to fall.

While there are early signs of infections slowing down, scientists say they won't know for certain for a week or more.

The law does not say the lockdown can roll on indefinitely - it must be reviewed in some form.

It says a Cabinet minister "must review the need for restrictions and requirements" under the emergency law "at least once every 21 days, with the first review being carried out by 16th April 2020."

The emergency powers ban people from going outside without a list of good reasons, including shopping for essentials, doing essential work, a medical need or once a day for exercise.

The law also bans gatherings of more than two people in public, unless they're from the same household.

Offenders can be fined £30 to start with by police, rising to almost £1,000 by the time it is a third offence.

Meanwhile Downing Street insisted Mr Johnson has confidence in Priti Patel after she was virtually invisible in the coronavirus fightback.

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The Home Secretary has made barely any appearance in public since she was hit by bullying claims.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Home Secretary has been chairing the ministerial group which she leads, which is obviously looking at issues such as the enforcement of the government’s guidance."

Asked if she'd be fronting the daily press conference, the spokesman said: "I don’t have the advance cast.

"But certainly the Prime Minister and his team have absolute confidence in the Home Secretary and the work she’s doing.”