UK PM Johnson rejects COVID-19 criticism by former aide
Reuters
Published May 26, 2021 07:20AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected criticism from his former adviser Dominic Cummings on Wednesday, saying he did not accept Cummings' accusation that government inaction led to unnecessary deaths.
Asked by opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer whether he accepted the central allegations of Cummings' testimony to a parliamentary committee, Johnson said "No."
"I don't think anybody could credibly accuse this government of being complacent about the threat that this virus posed, at any point. We have worked flat out to minimise loss of life."
Earlier, Cummings said his ex-boss failed in the COVID-19 crisis and ministers fell "disastrously short" of the standards the public had a right to expect during the most devastating global pandemic in decades.
Johnson also said: "The handling of this pandemic has been one of the most difficult things this country's had to do for a very long time but none of the decisions have been easy.
"To go into a lockdown is a traumatic thing for a country, to deal with a pandemic on the scale has been appallingly difficult."
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.