Boris Johnson suggested he ‘thought Covid was nature’s way of dealing with old people’
Boris Johnson suggested he believed the coronavirus pandemic was “Nature’s way of dealing with old people” as he resisted lockdown measures, Sir Patrick Vallance argued.
The Government’s chief scientific adviser during Covid-19 wrote that the then-prime minister suggested he may have agreed with Conservatives that the “whole thing is pathetic”.
Sir Patrick hit out in his diaries about “quite a bonkers set of exchanges” featuring Mr Johnson, extracts shown to the official inquiry on Tuesday showed.
The adviser wrote in August 2020 that Mr Johnson was “obsessed with older people accepting their fate and letting the young get on with life and the economy going”.
“Quite bonkers set of exchanges,” he said, referring to the “PM WhatsApp group”.
Then, in December 2020, Sir Patrick wrote that Mr Johnson said he believed he had been “acting early” and that the “public are with him (but his party is not)”.
“He says his party ‘thinks the whole thing is pathetic and Covid is just Nature’s way of dealing with old people – and I am not entirely sure I disagree with them. A lot of moderate people think it is a bit too much’. Wants to rely on polling. Then he says ‘We should move things to Tier 3 now’.”
Indecisive
Lee Cain, who was Mr Johnson’s communications director in No 10, said the then-PM was indecisive over whether or not to impose a circuit-breaker lockdown in September 2020 because it was “very much against what’s in his political DNA”.
Mr Cain said his own research led him to believe that the public mood was more cautious, contrary to that of the Tory Party.
Counsel to the inquiry Andrew O’Connor asked: “And was this one of the factors that underpinned the prime minister’s indecision later in 2020, September/October time, whether or not to have a circuit-breaker lockdown?”
Mr Cain said: “Yes, it was. I think the prime minister was torn on this issue.
“I think, if he was in his previous role as a journalist, he would probably have been writing articles saying we should open up the beaches and how we should get ahead and be getting back.
“I think he felt torn where the evidence on one side and public opinion and scientific evidence was very much caution, slow – we’re almost certainly going to have to do another suppression measure, so we need to have that in mind – where media opinion and certainly the rump of the Tory Party was pushing him hard (in) the other direction.
“So I think that was partly the reason for the oscillation because the rigid measures were very much against what’s in his political DNA, I guess.”
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What an absolute psychopath! Almost as bad as Edward wanting to come back as a virus so he could cull the Human population.
But his backers will continue to defend him. He will see no consequence of this. He will walk, he has a job at the mail and gb, probably get lorded by Sunak.
Thousands have paid his price of ineptitude.
Natures’ way of dealing with old people’. I hope that loses Tories the ‘old’ peoples’ vote.
Shame it wasn’t nature’s way of dealing with class A pricks like him. I don’t know how ill he really was back in 2020 but with the benefit of hindsight he might have been the one worthwhile casualty had the old Grim Reaper taken a swipe at him. Maybe next time, but why should we have to wait that long ?
With all the shocking revelations of the covid enquiery being partially hidden by coverage of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, it is sad to say, that people in Cumru will still vote Tory, and some will still support A R T Davies, ignoring his unwavering support for Boris. With Starmer and Labour showing their true colours recently, how can people here still want to remain in the UK. The UK has become a moral vacuum. We are better than this.
Nasty murderous poundshop fascist.
The Words i would like to write on here what COVID should do to him and his party you would not allow but you can Guess
Johnson is guilty of genocide, he and the Putin wing of the Republican Party deserve a route to Hell for lack of support Ukraine!
Disgraced alleged former party-time prime minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson has only ever cared about one person – himself.
Boris Johnson suggested sticking a hairdryer up your nose would cure Covid.
Yet at the same time on the other side of the pond Donald Trump was suggesting injecting disinfectant. What a time to have these 2 idiots in charge!!!