DOMINIC RAAB must appoint a temporary Foreign Secretary while he deputises for the Prime Minister, Labour said today.

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy called on Mr Raab to “name a minister to run the Foreign Office” while PM Boris Johnson remains in hospital recovering from the coronavirus.

She said: “Over the coming days and weeks, decisions will need to be taken in real time to co-ordinate a response to this crisis that will rightly demand the full attention of Dominic Raab and his team.

“It is crucial, however, that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) continues to function effectively during this period. This is a global crisis and demands a global response.”

She added that the repatriation of British nationals stranded overseas “must be an absolute priority.”

Last week, the FCO launched a £75 million operation to repatriate British nationals. But efforts to bring people back from India have been criticised by travellers over long waiting lists and expensive fares.

The FCO has now chartered 12 more repatriation flights from India between April 13 and 20, on top of the seven already arranged between April 8 and 12. The 19 flights are expected bring back 5,000 people.