The Prime Minister seems to be serious about his mission to shed the pounds, even managing to lift a few sets of weights on a visit to a gym today.

Boris Johnson vowed to trim down in the wake of his battle with Covid-19, which saw him admitted to intensive care.

On Thursday, he visited a branch of low-cost fitness chain The Gym Group in his South Ruislip constituency, where he was talked through how staff are keeping their customers safe from coronavirus.

The PM even lifted a few weights – although most personal trainers probably would not recommend working out in a shirt and tie.

Richard Darwin, chief executive of The Gym Group, said: “The positive impact of exercise on mental and physical wellbeing cannot be underestimated and it was good to see our members tell the Prime Minister how great it was to be back in the gym.

We know the PM is on his own fitness journey and he’s welcome to come back and exercise with us any time.”

The PM also wants the rest of the nation to join him on his fitness drive to prepare the UK for further waves of Covid-19, and last month the Government unveiled its new obesity strategy.

Measures include bans on junk food advertising before the 9pm watershed, an end to buy-one-get-free deals on fatty and sugary foods and calorie counts on menus.

Mr Johnson said at the time: “Losing weight is hard, but with some small changes we can all feel fitter and healthier.

“If we all do our bit, we can reduce our health risks and protect ourselves against coronavirus – as well as taking pressure off the NHS.”