ormer prime minister Boris Johnson was “dismissive of catastrophe” and labelled lengthy Covid as “bollocks” in 2020, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has heard.
The Bereaved Households for Justice group mentioned there was a “management void” in early days of the disaster and accused Mr Johnson of “cavalier” public messaging simply weeks earlier than the primary lockdown.
In the meantime, Lengthy Covid teams mentioned that the previous prime minister dismissed the situation as “bollocks” and “Gulf Warfare Syndrome stuff” in October 2020.
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry additionally heard that key WhatsApp messages by the then-prime minister from January 31 to June 7 2020 are “unrecoverable”.
The lack of these messages is a “exceptional and unlucky coincidence” Peter Weatherby KC, for Covid-19 Bereaved Households for Justice, instructed the inquiry.
Talking on the primary day of the second module, Mr Weatherby referred to as for consultants to look at the cellphone to see whether or not the messages could possibly be retrieved “and whether or not they may need been deleted”.
“Mr Johnson claims that though he’s downloaded the cellphone, the WhatsApp messaging from the essential interval of the January 31 to June 7 2020 are unrecoverable,” Mr Weatherby mentioned.
“A exceptional and unlucky coincidence, we might say.
“We’d urge the inquiry to fee consultants to see why these messages can’t be retrieved and whether or not they could have been deleted.”
Mr Weatherby mentioned that Mr Johnson “did not take the rising menace significantly” as he referred to as on the inquiry to think about “whether or not very important time to type a contingency plan and to behave was squandered” and that key preparations could not have taken place “as a result of a part of the Authorities was in denial, and others had a false view of its personal preparedness”.
Mr Johnson has admitted in his witness assertion that he didn’t consider lengthy Covid really existed, dismissing it as ‘Gulf Warfare Syndrome stuff’.
In the meantime, Anthony Metzer KC, talking on behalf of Lengthy Covid Youngsters, Lengthy Covid SOS and Lengthy Covid Assist, instructed the inquiry that Mr Johnson initially “denied the reality of the struggling” of lengthy Covid sufferers.
“In October 2020, whereas the Division of Well being and Social Care was publishing steering on lengthy Covid and referred to as for recognition and assist for folks with lengthy Covid, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson scrawled in capitals that lengthy Covid was ‘bollocks’.
“Mr Johnson has admitted in his witness assertion that he didn’t consider lengthy Covid really existed, dismissing it as ‘Gulf Warfare Syndrome stuff’.”
“The inquiry will probably be involved to probe how the previous prime minister may presumably maintain this view in October 2020.
“It’s maybe noticeable that the previous Prime Minister now accepts that lengthy Covid is a severe well being situation, however doesn’t say when he modified his thoughts.
“Adults and youngsters had been and nonetheless are affected by debilitating, painful and terrifying signs for months and now years after an infection, and but Mr Johnson denied the reality of their struggling.
“The UK’s senior most choice=makers had been dismissing, diminishing and disbelieving the very existence and danger of lengthy Covid.”
The inquiry additionally heard {that a} Cobra assembly was briefed on Covid-19 on January 29 however Mr Johnson was not current.
Mr Weatherby went on: “He wasn’t at Cobra for greater than one other month after till March. He’ll inform us that he correctly left issues to others however the actuality is there was a management void.”
He added: “It was two months into the emergency earlier than Mr Johnson attended his first Cobra assembly, March 2, the day earlier than he engaged in what can solely be described as cavalier and extremely unhelpful public messaging when he visited the Royal Free Hospital telling the media: ‘I feel there have been a couple of Coronavirus sufferers and I shook fingers with all people, you’ll be happy to know, and I proceed to shake fingers’.
“It’s tough to see his actions and media feedback as nothing aside from dismissive of a catastrophe which had been looming for 2 months, and was now simply across the nook.”
In the meantime, he additionally referenced the Eat Out to Assist Out scheme.
“It seems it was rolled out with none scientific recommendation,” Mr Weatherby mentioned.
“We anticipate that scientists will say their recommendation would have been strongly towards such a hare-brained scheme.
“The inquiry should contemplate whether or not the Authorities actually was following the science, or whether or not Mr (then-chancellor Rishi) Sunak’s flagship coverage hastened the subsequent wave of infections.”
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