Image copyright PIPPA FOWLES / DOWNING STREET HANDOUT

Boris Johnson’s health continues to improve in hospital, Downing Street has said after the PM spent his third night in intensive care.

A No 10 spokesman describe the prime minister as being in “good spirits” as he continues to receive care in St Thomas’ Hospital, London.

Mr Johnson is being given oxygen, having contracted coronavirus.

He was taken to hospital on Sunday - 10 days after testing positive - and was moved to intensive care on Monday.

Downing Street said Mr Johnson was continuing with "standard oxygen treatment". His spokesman has previously confirmed the prime minister has not been on a ventilator.

The spokesman said No 10 was “hugely grateful” for the messages of support and that the prime minister “thanks NHS staff for the brilliant care which he has been receiving”.

During Wednesday's daily coronavirus briefing, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the prime minister was "sitting up in bed" and "engaging positively" with medics.

Mr Johnson was most recently seen in public last Thursday when he joined the country in clapping for NHS workers on the steps of Downing Street.

While Mr Johnson remains in hospital, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is deputising for the PM and will chair an emergency Cobra meeting with ministers and the devolved administrations later on Thursday.

Mr Raab has said he is "confident" the prime minister will recover from the virus.

Meanwhile, the prime minister's chief adviser Dominic Cummings has been self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms.

The PM's official spokesman said Mr Cummings was not back in Number 10, but he was in contact.