Call the spin doctor
How the medical emergencies of prime ministers David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill and Tony Blair were relayed to the general public
When it comes to prime ministers being admitted to hospital while in office, Boris Johnson is, unfortunately, in good company.
From David Lloyd George to Tony Blair, some of Britain’s most notable prime ministers have been forced to break off from their duties for treatment for conditions ranging from severe flu to pneumonia to heart problems.
Indeed, Lloyd George’s battle with Spanish flu was so grave, it was feared he might die, while the extent of Winston Churchill’s bouts of pneumonia were not revealed to a wartime public so as not to damage morale.
Like Mr Johnson, Lloyd George was struck down aged 55, in his case while in Manchester to meet troops and workers towards the end of the First World War.
The city was suffering from the Spanish flu epidemic which killed 228,000 people in Britain and millions more worldwide.
After suffering a sore throat, his condition deteriorated on Sept 11 1918 and he spent 10 days in a makeshift intensive care clinic at Manchester town hall, where he was placed on a respirator.
His valet reportedly said it was “touch and go”, but official bulletins gave no hint he was in danger.
To observers, the Government appeared to carry on as normal, with Andrew Bonar Law, the Tory leader and chancellor in the wartime coalition, already running domestic policy.
Similarly, when Churchill ended up in hospital with pneumonia in 1943 and again in 1944, great care was taken in how the news was relayed to a public weighed down by years of conflict.
In February 1943, after the 69-year-old contracted pneumonia, Charles Wilson, his physician, drafted a news bulletin, only for Churchill to dictate his own. A compromise referred to his “improving condition”.
Clementine,
Churchill’s wife, said only a small circle was informed when he suffered a further bout in August 1944.
No public mention was made of the stroke Churchill suffered on his return to office. During a No 10 dinner on June 23 1953, the 79-year-old collapsed and was ushered out. While partially paralysed down one side, Churchill presided over a Cabinet meeting the next morning, but his condition soon deteriorated and Lord Moran, his doctor, initially feared he would not recover. The public was told only that he was suffering from exhaustion.
In October 2003, Tony Blair – then 50 – was taken to Hammersmith Hospital for emergency treatment after he complained of chest pains and an irregular heartbeat. He was admitted to its acute ward after being given cardioversion, an electric shock that jolts the heart back to a normal rhythm.
No 10 played down the incident and Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, deputised for Mr Blair, until his return to work a day later.
A year later, Mr Blair underwent an operation to correct his heart’s abnormal rhythm. It later emerged he had suffered with heart problems “on and off ” for 15 years. Patrick Sawer