Boris Johnson said 'the old should accept their fate' as he failed to stop Covid deaths

Boris Johnson
Photo: AP

Ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed coronavirus was "nature's way of dealing with old people" as he refused to introduce lockdown restrictions that could have saved lives, reveals London’s ‘The Mirror’.

The Covid Inquiry heard how he failed to properly prepare for the pandemic as did not believe it was a “big deal”. On a day of jaw-dropping revelations, his top spin doctor admitted he was the “wrong” PM to deal with the crisis.

Diary entries written by Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance also exposed Mr Johnson’s attitude towards the pandemic in private. The top scientist complained about “quite bonkers” conversations with the then PM, who he wrote was "obsessed with older people accepting their fate and letting the young get on with life and the economy going”.

Newly-released messages also showed that Mr Johnson in October 2020 wrote: "Hardly anyone under 60 goes into hospital (4 per cent) and of those virtually all survive. And I no longer buy all this NHS overwhelmed stuff."

Mr Cummings and former No10 director of communications Lee Cain both told the inquiry how Mr Johnson dithered over key decisions as he constantly changed his mind. In a stark WhatsApp message a fortnight before the first lockdown, Mr Cummings told the then PM: "The overwhelming danger here is being late and the NHS implodes like zombie apocalypse film - not being a week early."

Mr Cain said it was "the wrong crisis for this Prime Minister's skillset", as he admitted Mr Johnson was a “challenging character to work with” as he “will oscillate” and “take a decision from the last person in the room”. Mr Cummings conceded it was "pretty insane" many senior government officials including Mr Johnson went on holiday in February 2020 half term rather than help to prepare for the pandemic.

Natalie Grayson of the GMB union, which represents care home workers, accused the Tories of showing “utter contempt” for those they were looking after. She said: “The Government turned our care homes into morgues. Emergency workers, care workers, residents and their families are the ones who have had to live with the trauma of their failure. Boris Johnson is a disgrace.”

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs