What a paddling pool of thoughts Dominic Raab must have been going through shortly after 7pm last night.

He emerged hesitantly, tiptoeing gently down the steps of Downing Street like a winter swimmer wading into the icy foam.

Back at last in their favorite Downing Street rehearsal room, the Prime Minister (pictured), gave the government's daily coronavirus briefing with his scientific and medical advisers.

Bond aficionados will know that early in each story comes an inaugural meeting between hero and foe. A chance encounter over highballs, perhaps, or a high-stakes hand of chemin de fer.

Boris Johnson has reiterated his opposition to a second vote on Scottish independence during a call with Nicola Sturgeon, despite her saying it is now a 'democratic right'.

The Prime Minister contacted senior Tories to acknowledge the huge challenge to protect the union that they face. The SNP won 48 of the 59 Westminster seats in Scotland.

In a letter to the SNP leader, Boris Johnson insisted he will not authorise another vote north of the border. He later told the Cabinet that he had an 'optimistic vision' for Scotland.

Downing Street today confirmed it is seriously considering plans to build a bridge between Northern Ireland and mainland Great Britain.

The couple were seen in the stands during the Guinness Six Nations match between England and Wales at Twickenham Stadium this afternoon.

The 26-year-old megastar, who headlined Glastonbury earlier this year, returned to Kensington Avenue Primary School in Thornton Heath, south London.

A London park has become the first in the world to ban pinatas. Myatt's Field Park in Camberwell, London has banned the party feature over fears of environmental damage.

The actress, 78, made the shocking comments in a rant on Channel 4 comedy chat show The Last Leg on Friday night.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was confronted by a member of the public as he walked through St James's Park this morning. This was the fourth time this week the PM has been seen holding a coffee cup.

SARAH VINE: Prime Minister or pauper, there can be no difference in value between humans. When Boris Johnson was admitted to a London hospital on Monday the situation changed.

SARAH VINE: The fact that the Prime Minister rose miraculously from his sickbed on Easter Sunday might have felt rather too much like the work of an overimaginative spin doctor.

There is also likely to be a boost for powerful Cabinet Office boss Michael Gove, who is expected to bring responsibility for November's UN climate summit in Glasgow into his Whitehall empire.

DOMINIC LAWSON: Johnson said in 2007 that Mayor Larry Vaughn was the true hero of the film Jaws: it was 'laudable' that he strove to help businesses in defiance of mounting hysteria.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford delivered the extraordinary tirade at PMQs, hammering Mr Johnson for describing muslim women in veils as 'letterboxes'.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon delivered a withering assessment of the would-be PM, saying he would 'damage the UK's reputation'.

MPs insisted Boris Johnson and rival Jeremy Hunt must 'prove' their commitment to the union during the campaign.

On his first visit to Scotland, Mr Johnson told the SNP leader the UK would leave the EU on Halloween. He was booed by protesters in Edinburgh.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind delivered the stark message after allies of the PM made clear he will try to cling on if he is defeated on a confidence motion by rebel Tories determined to head off No Deal Brexit.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said today that any vote of no confidence would have to come after a crunch EU summit in three weeks time otherwise ex-Tory Remainer rebels would not back it.

The State Opening of Parliament saw Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn engage in one of the newer political traditions today - the awkward silent walk to the Lords.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson could get a Christmas general election. MPs from across the UK are set to vote on Mr Johnson's call for election.

Boris Johnson said the 2014 ballot - when Scots voted to stay in the union - was a 'once in a generation' decision.

Mr Johnson has poured cold water on the idea of sharing a stage with Ms Sturgeon, because he is only prepared 'to contest the debates with whoever theoretically could be Prime Minister.'

Boris Johnson today claimed Jeremy Corbyn is not 'tough enough' to stand up to Nicola Sturgeon and reject her demands for a second Scottish independence referendum.

The PM even suggested that his Labour rival may throw his weight behind the separatist campaign, and questioned the left-winger's commitment to keeping the United Kingdom glued together.

STEPHEN DAISLEY: Nicola Sturgeon's party went from 35 seats to 48, halving the Scottish Tory MP group and taking Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson's seat of East Dunbartonshire.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon teed up a pitch battle for the future of the UK claiming Boris Johnson will be 'subverting democracy' by refusing a ballot.

The SNP won 35 seats in 2017 but managed to secure 12 more at the general election last week - a surge which has bolstered Ms Sturgeon's calls for a second breakaway ballot.

The First Minister said that the Prime Minister's decision to block a new vote was 'a sign of weakness' as she continued to build her case the break up the UK.

The Tory frontrunner, who will become the UK's new Prime Minister next week if he defeats Jeremy Hunt in the leadership race, is said to have told aides to prepare for an election as early as next summer.

Philip Hammond is believed to be the first Chancellor to have ignored a three-line whip and not being sacked or forced to resign by the incumbent prime minister.

HENRY DEEDES: Almost as likely as Boris Johnson being announced as our new Prime Minister this morning will be the subsequent phoney display of unity between him and Jeremy Hunt.

Barry Gardiner said that the opposition had been discussing the 'nuclear option'  of supporting a no confidence vote in Mr Johnson's Brexiteer administration.

Boris Johnson goaded the Labour leader that he had abandoned his long-standing Euroscepticism as he claimed that the Tories were now the only ones 'on the side of the people'.

Jeremy Corbyn has refused to launch a vote of no confidence against Boris Johnson after Jo Swinson urged the Labour leader to join forces with her to bring down the government.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said today that the Government should be working on getting ready for an election but he does not expect one before October 31.

The Shadow Chancellor said he would be 'sending Jeremy Corbyn in a cab to Buckingham Palace', at an event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Shadow Chancellor told an Edinburgh Festival Fringe event he would be 'sending Jeremy Corbyn in a cab to Buckingham Palace' if Mr Johnson did not vacate No 10 after losing a vote.

Boris Johnson met Jeremy Corbyn for crisis talks this morning in an effort to agree a timetable for passing the deal.

Labour's John McDonnell has accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of 'running scared' after he refused to take part in a one-on-one interview with the BBC's Andrew Neil.

The Prime Minister was transferred to the ICU at St Thomas' Hospital in south London last night as his symptoms worsened after he was admitted to hospital on Sunday.

Councillor Sheila Oakes, who is currently mayor of Heanor in Derbyshire, said the Prime Minister 'completely deserves' his intensive care battle with coronavirus.

JACK DOYLE: IN a burst of optimism characteristic of his leadership campaign, Boris Johnson insists he would break the Brexit deadlock and honour the result of the referendum.

The senior minister told the Daily Mail the Prime Minister would fight in court to try to find a way around the law forcing him to extend the October 31 Brexit deadline.

Throughout the campaign, Tory staff out on the road with Mr Johnson were always more optimistic than those based in London, because they saw at first hand the reception he got from the public.

The photo of the Queen at Windsor Castle on the phone to Boris Johnson does not just assuage fears for the health of our 93-year-old monarch, it resolutely declares it is business as usual.