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United Kingdom (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday brushed aside allegations from his former chief aide that his failings had caused tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths from COVID-19, saying “some of the commentary” bore no relation to reality.
Dominic Cummings, who was Johnson’s right-hand man until late last year, delivered a withering attack on his former boss during seven hours of testimony before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, casting Johnson as incompetent, disorganised and unfit to be the prime minister. read more
With almost 128,000 deaths, the United Kingdom has the world’s fifth highest official COVID-19 toll, far higher than the government’s initial worst-case estimates of 20,000. Cummings said the government’s ineptitude and delay had led to many more deaths than necessary.
Asked if that accusation was true, Johnson said: “No, I don’t think so, but of course this has been an incredibly difficult series of decisions, none of which we’ve taken lightly.
“We’ve followed to the best we can, the data and the guidance that we’ve had.”
