Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during the Covid-19 pandemic that older people should “accept their fate” and allow younger people to “get on with their lives”, according to documents released at an inquest on Tuesday.
Former science adviser Patrick Vallance recorded in his personal diary that, in August 2020, Johnson was “obsessed with old people accepting their fate and young people running their lives and the economy”.
“An absurd exchange,” wrote the scientist.
Vallance said that some in the Conservative Party “are pathetic and that Covid is nature’s way of treating the elderly”, adding that Johnson is “not sure he disagrees”.
“Prevent the elderly from getting infected and protect others”
In another exchange of views via written message with his team on October 15, 2020, shortly before ordering a second prison term on November 5, Johnson suggested: “We’ve got to protect the elderly from getting infected” .
“The average age (of those killed by Covid) is 81-82 years for men and 85 years for women. That’s a long life expectancy, so… catch Covid and live long,” he explained.
The contents of the documents were released this Tuesday during a public inquiry into Covid-19, during which several political and scientific officials were questioned.
Former communications director Lee Cain said during the morning hearing that Johnson “frequently deferred decisions, sought advice from multiple sources and changed his mind about various matters.”
He added that this could be a “great virtue” in politics, but the pandemic required “quick decisions” and “resolute people”, indicating that he had left his position “exhausted” by the boss’s constant changes of mind. In the first months of the health crisis, in 2020.
Later in the afternoon, former adviser Dominic Cummings agreed with the explanation that Johnson had been constantly changing his mind during the pandemic, making it difficult to define policies.
“Practically everyone called it a ‘trolley,'” he said, referring to the British term for a supermarket trolley without a steering wheel.
Regarding the British government’s response to the pandemic, Cummings summarized, “In general, the failure was widespread, but there were some great people and some great teams who did a great job in a generally dysfunctional system”.
230 thousand people have died due to covid in England
The public inquiry aims to assess the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which around 230,000 people have died in the UK, one of the highest rates in Europe.
The inquiry, led by Judge Heather Hallett, which is expected to last at least three years, will analyze the administration and political management of the virus outbreak after examining how the country prepared for the health crisis.
Boris Johnson is expected to testify later this year. The trial is expected to take three years to complete.
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