Covid Inquiry Lays Bare Unforgivable Failures Of Boris Johnson’s Government | Letters

Re your study (‘Too little, excessively late’: damning study condemns UK’s Covid response, 20 November), soon aft lockdown began, my family mislaid an aunt and uncle wrong an hr of each different to Covid successful different hospitals successful Manchester. Their boy was successful a 3rd successful A&E, besides pinch Covid, but survived. Six months later my father, who was successful infirmary recuperating from awesome surgery, was rushed retired of nan building precocious astatine nighttime because of a fearfulness of Covid connected nan ward. Within 2 weeks, he died of Covid. On nan time he died, my mother tested affirmative and spent nan adjacent 2 weeks grieving successful isolation. I could not sojourn arsenic I lived 200 miles distant and respected nan recreation ban.

At his funeral, we followed nan rules, truthful a very mini number of group could attend. My begetter was specified a portion of nan section organization that group lined nan roads astir nan cemetery, everyone respecting societal distancing. I could not hug my mother astatine nan ceremonial because we were not successful nan aforesaid bubble.

His ceremonial was astatine nan clip Boris Johnson and his authorities were raising a solid to each different and partying successful Whitehall. To opportunity that they should beryllium ashamed of themselves for their incompetence and nan unnecessary deaths they caused would beryllium an understatement. I dream they ne'er show their faces successful nationalist again.
Prof Andrew Moran
Saffron Walden, Essex

I shall ne'er hide arriving astatine Gatwick connected 19 March 2020, having been successful Mexico since January. My woman and I expected to spot and perceive proposal astir avoiding Covid arsenic soon arsenic we arrived, but location was thing – not moreover a poster. No societal distancing and nary look coverings. People were behaving as normal for London, pushing past to get connected escalators. By contrast, successful Tulum, societal distancing had go nan norm and hand-sanitising gel was prominently displayed successful shops and restaurants. This should beryllium an indictment of Britain, a state wherever excessively overmuch powerfulness is concentrated successful nan hands of excessively fewer group successful Westminster. Why are we truthful limited connected nan actions (or inaction) of 1 flawed individual?
Bryan Pready
Ormskirk, Lancashire

The federation is correct to estimate really a much superior premier curate mightiness person handled nan Covid situation successful its early stages (Boris Johnson took 4 days disconnected arsenic NHS warned Covid could ‘overwhelm’ system, 22 November). Perhaps 1 reply mightiness travel from Damian McBride’s 2013 book Power Trip, astir his clip moving arsenic a typical advisor to Gordon Brown. In it, nan writer recounts nan communicative of Brown’s short-lived vacation to Weymouth successful August 2007. Having conscionable arrived astatine his vacation cottage, Brown was alerted to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. His guidance was to instantly telephone nan main vet and past Hilary Benn – past furniture curate for farming and agrarian affairs – announcing that he’d beryllium backmost astatine Downing Street nan pursuing greeting to chair a Cobra meeting.

Having dealt pinch nan property that evening, McBride notes really he returned to nan cottage astatine 5am for nan thrust to London. Asking Brown whether he’d slept much, he replied, “No, I was reference each this stuff”, pointing to a 187-page study into nan government’s handling of nan 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak and nan Royal Society’s study into nan subject of that outbreak. Every page of some printouts, McBride recalls, was covered successful scribbles. Brown besides had 20 pages of notes consisting of an action scheme for nan adjacent 24 hours.

The 2007 outbreak is small remembered, mostly because it was truthful decisively addressed. Brown whitethorn person had his faults, but riding astir connected motorbikes erstwhile he should person been attending to brewing nationalist crises was not 1 of them. Fewer group would nary uncertainty person died if a akin leader had been successful complaint during Covid.
Dr Paul Jackson
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

Yet again I find myself penning to nan Guardian astir Boris Johnson and his actions during Covid. We each knew that he partied, collapsed his ain rules and lied to nan federation and parliament, later proved by nan House of Commons privileges committee study successful June 2023. Most of america knew during nan pandemic that he was unprepared, chaotic and, isolated from for nan vaccine rollout, lacking successful some capacity and activity requirements. Sadly, we didn’t cognize nan half of it.

Baroness Hallett has laid out successful devastating item his ineptitude arsenic a leader and premier minister. British premier minister. Her study is simply a agelong litany of Johnson’s incompetence, failings and deficiency of consciousness of nan chaos he was overseeing. He successful particular, but besides his starring support squad of Matt Hancock, Dominic Cummings and Rishi Sunak, must surely person now mislaid nan correct to play immoderate portion successful nationalist life successful this country. Johnson’s taxpayer-funded yearly allowance should beryllium withdrawn, arsenic should immoderate nationalist honours aliases awards that he has received. Then, hopefully, location will beryllium nary request for anyone to constitute again to nan Guardian astir this pathetic, destructive man.
John Robinson
Lichfield, Staffordshire

The Covid inquiry study confirms what galore of america knew astatine nan clip of nan pandemic, acknowledgment successful portion to nan Guardian’s assiduous reporting from professionals specified arsenic Anthony Costello of University College London, Devi Sridhar of nan University of Edinburgh.

I americium not a scientist, nor a elder civilian servant, yet mean citizens for illustration maine saw a microorganism emerging from China from January 2020 – and nan devastating impact, and World Health Organization warnings regarding its nature. We watched nan warnings from Italy amid nan determination to trim disconnected portion of nan state to extremity nan spread. We saw group connected ventilators fighting for their lives successful specified distressing conditions successful Italian hospitals, and fearfulness began to build.

Despite our anxieties, nary action was taken successful nan UK. Our borders were open; our airports were welcoming visitors. Indeed, our premier minister, who had grounded to be Cobra meetings to talk nan pandemic, was connected vacation astatine nan government’s Chevening state retreat. The Cheltenham title gathering went ahead, pinch authorities spokespeople saying outdoor meetings were safe. To the contrary, mean citizens were thinking: “Were they not queueing astatine nutrient stands? Or for indoor toilets? How could it beryllium safe if group were mingling?” Similarly, nan fateful Champions League shot arena successful Liverpool, which saw Covid rates emergence exponentially, went ahead.

Thousands of people, family members and neighbours died unnecessarily. It is important, therefore, that this study is not received arsenic “new” information.
Lynne Caddick
Corscombe, Dorset

I respect your leader’s aspiration (Editorial, 21 November) that we must study nan lessons from nan exacting Covid enquiry to hole amended for nan adjacent “major crisis”, but we are doomed to disappointment. There was thing we didn’t cognize successful beforehand of nan presence of Covid. A microorganism would recreation fast, attraction homes would carnivore nan brunt, contingency plans must beryllium stress-tested, PPE must beryllium procured and stockpiled, meticulous accusation must beryllium provided to frontline workers and nan remainder of america and politicians should exemplary bully behaviour. Also, semi-independent authorities agencies should do their occupation of protecting nan nationalist from lying and incompetent politicians. It is difficult to ideate Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings aliases Matt Hancock mounting an illustration successful self-abasement arsenic a informing to their successors. So wherever is nan punishment that will protect america better? I regret that I conscionable don’t spot it.
Dr John Beer
Vice-president, Hourglass

Anyone who has publication Johnson astatine 10: The Inside Story by Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell will not beryllium astatine each amazed by thing that has travel retired of this latest report.
Eric Bush
Elche, Alicante, Spain