‘Sick Boris faces fight for life’: UK newspaper front pages react to PM’s admission to intensive care

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s move to the intensive care unit of St Thomas’ hospital in London, after his condition continued to deteriorate, dominated the front pages of Britain’s newspapers on Tuesday morning.

The Financial Times led with the fact-heavy headline, "Johnson moved to intensive care as persistent symptoms worsen."

The paper added in the sub headings that "Number 10 concedes he is no longer in charge" as Johnson's deputy, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab, will reportedly run the country for the remainder of the prime minister's time in intensive care. 

The Daily Mail, traditionally supportive of the British Conservative Party, upped the ante somewhat, describing Johnson as "Stricken Boris" who would be replaced by "crisis stand-in" Dominic Raab amid the “hospital drama.”

The paper opted for a more emotive take on the prime minister's precarious position, noting the "agony" of his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds who is unable to visit him in the ICU. 

Meanwhile, red tops The Daily Mirror and The Daily Star opted for a more pugilistic take on the prime minister’s hospital stay, not buying the Conservative Party’s efforts to downplay Johnson’s condition, and framing it as a “fight for life.”

The Daily Telegraph, for whom Johnson wrote previously, chose the concise headline, "Johnson in intensive care," giving leeway to a larger image of the poorly PM.

The paper then reported that Johnson had, in fact, been "moved near ventilator" as his symptoms worsened. 

The broadsheet also reported the UK's coronavirus totals on its front page: 51,608 infected, with a death toll of 5,373.

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