Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has Covid: Minister was sat inches from PM in Commons earlier and was expected to fly to Kyiv to discuss Russian aggression
- Lizz Truss said she has tested positive for Covid, hours after she sat near to PM
- The Foreign Secretary was set to travel to Kyiv with Boris Johnson on Tuesday
- But those plans will have to change after Ms Truss said she has Covid-19
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has tested positive for coronavirus, hours after she was sat inches away from Boris Johnson in the Commons.
The minister was set to travel to Kyiv, Ukraine, with the Prime Minister on Tuesday in a show of support for the country.
But those plans will have to change after Ms Truss tweeted that she has Covid.
The Foreign Secretary tweeted: ‘I tested positive for Covid this evening.
‘Thankfully I’ve had my three jabs and will be working from home while I isolate.’
Earlier today, Ms Truss had been sat on the front bench of the Commons, inches away from Mr Johnson as he delivered a half-apology after the Sue Gray report condemned ‘failures of leadership and judgment’ in Downing Street.
Ms Truss, who was not wearing a face mask, was sat beside Home Secretary Priti Patel and Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has tested positive for coronavirus, hours after she was sat inches away from Boris Johnson in the Commons
The minister was set to travel to Kyiv, Ukraine , with the Prime Minister on Tuesday in a show of support for the country. But those plans will have to change after Ms Truss tweeted that she has Covid
Ms Truss was supposed to visit Ukraine tomorrow with Mr Johnson, after the PM warned Russian President Vladimir Putin to ‘step back from the brink’ of invasion
Downing Street confirmed that the Prime Minister would sidestep the fallout from the Sue Gray Partygate report by travelling to Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.
That journey, which was supposed to be made with Ms Truss, will take place after an expected phone call with Putin today, as tens of thousands of Russian troops maintain their position close to the Ukraine border.
Fears of an imminent Russian incursion in Ukraine have grown in recent days, despite denials from Moscow and pleas from Zelensky to avoid stirring ‘panic’ over the military build-up on the border.
As well as visiting Ukraine, the Foreign Secretary had planned to head on to Moscow for talks.
Diplomatic efforts are ramping up as Putin-backing oligarchs were warned there will be ‘nowhere to hide’ from new UK sanctions.
The Foreign Office is set to announce details of enhanced measures that could be used against ‘strategic interests’ of the Russian state.
Targets could include financial institutions and energy firms as well as Mr Putin’s wealthy supporters.
Meanwhile, former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers has insisted Russia can be deterred from pushing ahead with an invasion if the West makes clear there will be ‘costs’.
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