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Boris Johnson will "almost certainly" take paternity leave when his new child is born later this year.

At the weekend, it was announced the prime minister's girlfriend Carrie Symonds is pregnant and the couple are engaged.

The baby is expected in early summer, with Ms Symonds saying she was feeling "incredibly blessed" by the news.

Asked at a Downing Street news conference on Tuesday whether he planned to take paternity leave later this year, Mr Johnson replied: "Almost certainly, yes."

Number 10 sources did not say whether Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab would be in line to deputise for Mr Johnson.

Mr Raab has a dual role as First Secretary of State, which implies seniority over all other Cabinet ministers.

The title was previously held by Damian Green under Theresa May, and William Hague and then George Osborne under David Cameron.

The last time a child was born to a sitting prime minister was during Mr Cameron's tenure when he and his wife Samantha welcomed Florence Rose Endellion into their family in August 2010.

Mr Cameron took paternity leave after the birth of Florence, his youngest child, with Mr Hague deputising for him in the House of Commons.

But his predecessor Tony Blair refused to take paternity leave while prime minister when his son Leo was born in 2000.

However, Mr Blair did say he would temporarily take things easy.

Mr Johnson has four grown-up children with his second wife Marina Wheeler, with whom he recently reached a financial settlement over his divorce.

In 2013, when he was London mayor, the Appeal Court ruled the public had a right to know that Mr Johnson had an affair with art consultant Helen Macintyre, who later gave birth to their daughter.

In the UK, new fathers can take up to two weeks' statutory paternity leave, with eligible employees paid whichever is lower of £148.68 a week or 90% of their average weekly earnings.