The former prime minister is also said to have called Long Covid ‘bollocks’ in October 2020.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson was “dismissive of disaster” and labelled long Covid as “bollocks” in 2020, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has heard.
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry also heard that key WhatsApp messages by the then-prime minister from January 31 to June 7 2020 are “unrecoverable”.The loss of these messages is a “remarkable and unfortunate coincidence” Peter Weatherby KC, for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, told the inquiry. Mr Weatherby said that Mr Johnson “failed to take the emerging threat seriously” as he called on the inquiry to consider “whether vital time to form a contingency plan and to act was squandered” and that key preparations may not have taken place “because part of the Government was in denial, and others had a false view of its own preparedness”.
“Mr Johnson has admitted in his witness statement that he didn’t believe long Covid truly existed, dismissing it as ‘Gulf War Syndrome stuff’.” “Adults and children were and still are suffering from debilitating, painful and terrifying symptoms for months and now years after infection, and yet Mr Johnson denied the truth of their suffering.
He added: “It was two months into the emergency before Mr Johnson attended his first Cobra meeting, March 2, the day before he engaged in what can only be described as cavalier and incredibly unhelpful public messaging when he visited the Royal Free Hospital telling the media: ‘I think there were a few Coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody, you will be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands’.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Boris Johnson faces 'particular scrutiny' as Covid inquiry continuesFrom social distancing, to the tier system, lockdown restrictions and travel advice, the inquiry is turning its attention to the government's decision making. | ITV National News
Read more »
Boris Johnson was 'dismissive of disaster' during pandemic, inquiry hearsKey WhatsApp messages by the then-prime minister from January 31 to June 7 2020, are 'unrecoverable', the UK Covid-19 Inquiry heard.
Read more »
Boris Johnson 'won't be attending' Conservative party conference Rachel Johnson revealsFormer PM Boris Johnson 'is not attending' this year's Tory party conference according to his sister, Rachel Johnson, in an apparent snub of the event.
Read more »
Boris Johnson 'won't be attending' Conservative party conference reveals Rachel JohnsonFormer PM Boris Johnson 'is not attending' this year's Tory party conference according to his sister, Rachel Johnson, in an apparent snub of the event.
Read more »
Carrie Johnson shares rare video of husband Boris and kids at family's £3.8million homeThe environmental activist and the former Prime Minister married in 2021
Read more »
NI Covid victim died in hospital on same day as Downing St party, inquiry hearsThe second stage of the UK Covid-19 inquiry is examining key decisions made by the UK Government between January 2020 and February 2022.
Read more »