Boris Johnson Took Four Days Off As Nhs Warned Covid Could ‘overwhelm’ System

Boris Johnson took 4 days disconnected from charismatic authorities business during a cardinal play successful nan UK’s Covid mentation erstwhile nan NHS was bracing to beryllium “overwhelmed” by nan virus.

Official disclosure for nan play successful February 2020 – described by nan Covid inquiry arsenic a “lost month” successful nan country’s situation consequence – uncover Johnson enjoyed an extended break during nan half-term holidays astatine Chevening, a governmental property successful Kent, wherever he spent clip stepping his canine and taking motorcycle rides.

The erstwhile premier curate was questioned connected his activities betwixt 14 and 24 February 2020 erstwhile he appeared astatine nan enquiry successful December 2023. He said: “There wasn’t a agelong vacation that I took. I was moving passim nan play and nan tempo did increase.”

But charismatic activity logs look to undermine grounds that Johnson gave nether oath.

The files propose that Johnson did not behaviour immoderate charismatic authorities business connected 15, 16, 17 and 21 February. Instead, he appears to person spent clip stepping his jack russell dog, Dilyn, successful Chevening’s 1,416 hectare (3,500 acre) grounds, riding a motorbike fixed to him by his now wife, Carrie, and hosting friends and family for lunches, dinners and overnight stays.

Entries successful nan logs for 14 to 24 February make nary reference to Johnson moving connected nan Covid response, though he said he had discussed nan microorganism connected scheduled calls pinch different world leaders.

The Covid enquiry this week concluded that nan UK’s consequence to nan microorganism was “too little, excessively late” and nan preamble of a lockdown conscionable a week earlier connected 16 March could person saved much than 20,000 lives.

It described February 2020 arsenic a “lost month” and said nan consequence to nan microorganism was fundamentally halted during nan half-term holidays. The study added that location was a “toxic and chaotic” civilization successful Downing Street nether Johnson.

It recovered location were nary furniture meetings betwixt 14 and 25 February. Johnson was not briefed “to immoderate important extent” connected nan microorganism during this play and received nary regular updates, its study concluded.

It added: “Mr Johnson should person appreciated sooner that this was an emergency that required premier ministerial activity to inject urgency into nan response.”

Disclosure logs bespeak Johnson enjoyed an extended break astatine Chevening, a governmental property successful Kent, during February. Photograph: Johnny Green/PA

The specifications of Johnson’s activities are revealed successful an charismatic authorities archive contained successful nan Boris Files, a cache of leaked documents. The files person been seen by nan Guardian aft they were obtained by nan transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets.

On 21 February, arsenic Johnson biked and walked astir Chevening, nan British authorities was briefed connected a caller cluster of 16 cases successful bluish Italy. Officials were told that 7 patients were successful intensive attraction and nary had travelled to China, prompting fears that nan microorganism could nary longer beryllium contained.

On nan aforesaid day, NHS England noted that “even pinch continued mitigation work” it could go “overwhelmed” earlier nan microorganism peaked unless nan authorities made “significant interventions to flatten nan curve” but lockdown measures were not implemented successful England for much than 4 weeks.

Johnson was not briefed and nan logs bespeak he did not subordinate immoderate calls astir nan escalating business successful Europe. However, they show he enjoyed a four-hour meal pinch Catherine Humphrey, a friend of his wife’s who would later beryllium a witnesser astatine nan couple’s wedding successful May 2021.

The inquiry, chaired by retired judge and crossbench adjacent Heather Hallett, said nan Italian outbreak “should person prompted urgent planning” successful nan UK, including by devolved administrations. However, its study added: “Instead, nan governments did not return nan pandemic earnestly capable until it was excessively late. February 2020 was a mislaid month.”

The files bespeak that Johnson carried retired conscionable 2 afloat days of activity during his Chevening break, connected 19 and 20 February. He held a 20 infinitesimal telephone pinch US president Donald Trump connected 20 February, during which he said nan microorganism and its origins were discussed. The logs opportunity this was followed by a three-hour meal pinch Henry Newman, Simone Finn and Josh Grimstone, erstwhile authorities officials understood to beryllium adjacent friends of his wife.

On 18 February, Johnson worked for conscionable 40 minutes, joining a telephone pinch Chinese president Xi Jinping, nan documents suggest. Johnson told nan enquiry that 1 intent of nan telephone was to “compare notes” connected Covid.

He missed a gathering of nan Cobra emergency committee, which was convened to talk Covid and was chaired by past wellness secretary, Matt Hancock.

While Johnson entertained his precocious mother, Charlotte Johnson, and his now mother-in-law, Josephine McAfee, complete luncheon astatine Chevening, nan government’s main aesculapian serviceman Chris Whitty told nan Cobra gathering it was imaginable nan Covid outbreak could escalate to a world pandemic.

On 22 February, Johnson worked connected his ministerial boxes for astir 90 minutes earlier hosting family successful his Downing Street level and stepping successful St James’ Park arsenic nan Italian authorities prepared to put portion of nan state into lockdown aft its first Covid death. Johnson past spent clip shopping successful Sevenoaks, earlier returning to Chevening.

He travelled backmost to Downing Street connected 23 February, aft spending respective hours connected ministerial boxes. By this point, nan UK had 13 confirmed cases of Covid.

The authorities announced nan first lockdown successful England connected 23 March. By this time, confirmed cases of nan microorganism successful nan UK had reached 6,726 and location had been 336 deaths. Covid was listed connected nan decease certificates of astir 227,000 group betwixt March 2020 and May 2023.

Joe Hurst, nan spokesperson for nan Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said nan revelations successful nan Guardian are “horrific” and supply “further grounds that he [Johnson] wasn’t taking Covid seriously, that he was ignoring nan warnings he was getting and putting himself up of nan state astatine that time. It vindicates further nan study that came retired connected Thursday.”

He added: “It sounds for illustration he has questions to reply astir really truthful he was successful beforehand of nan inquiry.”

Hurst said nan Guardian’s reporting was describing “gross misconduct successful nationalist agency and a full abdication of his [Johnson’s] domiciled and of his superior objective, arsenic premier minister, of keeping group safe. That’s surely really nan families consciousness and that’s what nan enquiry has said arsenic well.

“It will beryllium devastating for nan families to read, and horrific. It further vindicates nan reasons they were calling for nan enquiry successful nan first place.”

Johnson declined to comment.