Boris Johnson admits that the Government 'could have done things differently' in the early stages of coronavirus outbreak as he says ministers 'didn't understand it' for MONTHS but denies being too slow to act

Boris Johnson admitted tonight that his Government could have done things 'differently' early on in the coronavirus pandemic - but denied being too slow to act as the killer disease swept the nation.
In an interview to mark a year since becoming Tory leader and Prime Minister he admitted that politicians and scientists 'didn't understand (the virus) in the way that we would have liked'  in the spring.
Mr Johnson has come under heavy pressure in recent weeks over whether the lockdown began early enough, after chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told MPs they wanted it brought in a week before it came into effect on March 23.Speaking to the BBC tonight, Mr Johnson said:  'When you look back at this crisis, everybody can see that this was something that was new, that we didn't understand in the way that we would have liked in the first few weeks and months.
'And I think probably, you know, the single thing that we didn't see at the beginning was the extent to which it was being transmitted asymptomatically from person to person. 
'That wasn't clear to us or to anybody. But ... there will be plenty of time by the way to look back at all the other things that we need to learn and there will be an occasion to do that.'
Asked if his administration had been slow to act, he added: 'No, on the contrary, no if you look at the timing of every single piece of advice that we got from our advisers, from Sage, you will find that whenever they said that we needed to take a particular step, actually, we stuck to that advice like glue.' 
In an interview to mark a year since becoming Tory leader and Prime Minister he admitted that politicians and scientists 'didn't understand (the virus) in the way that we would have liked' in the spring
In an interview to mark a year since becoming Tory leader and Prime Minister he admitted that politicians and scientists 'didn't understand (the virus) in the way that we would have liked' in the spring
Asked if his administration had been slow to act, he added: 'No, on the contrary, no if you look at the timing of every single piece of advice that we got from our advisers, from Sage, you will find that whenever they said that we needed to take a particular step, actually, we stuck to that advice like glue'
Asked if his administration had been slow to act, he added: 'No, on the contrary, no if you look at the timing of every single piece of advice that we got from our advisers, from Sage, you will find that whenever they said that we needed to take a particular step, actually, we stuck to that advice like glue'
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: 'This finally puts to bed the Prime Minister's previous claim his Government ''took the right decisions at the right time''.
'Boris Johnson has finally admitted the Government has mishandled its response to the Coronavirus. It was too slow to acknowledge the threat of the virus, too slow to enter lockdown and too slow to take this crisis seriously.
'The threat of a second wave is still very real. It is imperative the Government learns the lessons of its mistakes so we can help to save lives.'
Coronavirus cases in England appear to be creeping up with 1,000 more people estimated to be catching the disease every day than they were last week, official data showed today as the UK recorded 123 more Covid-19 deaths.All of the victims are assumed to be in England considering Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland health agencies reported zero fatalities for the second day running. The new deaths take the total in the UK to 45,677.
Covid-19 cases have reached 297,914, according to the Government tally. Some 770 new cases were announced by the Department of Health today, the highest in a week and taking the seven-day rolling average up to 668 - a nine per cent increase on last Friday.
It comes as Office for National Statistics data based on population testing estimate that daily infections have risen from 1,700 to 2,800 in the space of seven days, to a current total of 22,400 new cases per week.
It suggests one in 2,000 people across the country were carrying Covid-19 within the most recent week up to July 19 - a total of 27,700 people or 0.05 per cent of the population. This figure has crept up from the estimated 0.04 per cent (24,000) thought to be infected last week and the 0.03 per cent (14,000) the week before.
Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: 'At last Boris Johnson has admitted what we have all known for sometime - this Government made fundamental mistakes in their handling of the coronavirus crisis. 
'However, to try and minimise this as there were some things they could have done differently is not only an enormous understatement, but it is an insult to all those who tragically lost loved ones to the virus. 
'This interview has left people with more questions than answers. With no remorse for the catastrophic mistakes, such as the failure to protect our care homes, or the refusal to put a comprehensive plan in place for a potential second wave, it is clear the Prime Minster has learnt nothing over the course of the last few months.
'Boris Johnson's comments today prove why an immediate independent inquiry is so essential. The Prime Minister and his Government must be faced with the reality of where they went wrong, so that they can learn from their mistakes which have led to tragic consequences.'

No comments:

Powered by Blogger.