Boris Johnson referred to “whiskey and revolver” at a meeting with officials in October 2020 and spoke of “medieval measures” to fight the pandemic, the British Covid-19 inquiry has learned.
These comments, detailed in the paperback book by leading scientist at the time, Sir Patrick Vallance, and shared with the research, come as Johnson’s government seeks to avoid a momentary national lockdown as winter approaches.
Sir Patrick complained that Johnson and his then-chancellor, Rishi Sunak, were “clinging to the chaff”.
The revelation comes as Simon Ridley is the latest senior official to appear before Lady Hallett’s inquiry this week.
The former head of the Cabinet Office’s Covid-19 task force faced detailed questions about the role and influence of the official 2020 framework.
Much of the hearing focused on presenting to Mr Johnson and cabinet ministers on how to suppress the virus as winter approaches. At one point, Mr Johnson sought out “alternative views” from Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the Evidence Centre. medicine at Oxford and others.
This announced as a government policy. I haven’t spent much time worrying about the why and how of this.
Simon Ridley, former head of the Cabinet Office Covid Task Force
In his diary, detailing an assembly in early October, Sir Patrick wrote: “Very bad assembly at number 10. . . The prime minister speaks of medieval measures different from those suggested.
“Maybe we deserve some other technique and apply other values. . . It sure spreads in waves like other herbal phenomena and there’s nothing we can do.
“As Simon Ridley said on the last slide, the Prime Minister said ‘whiskey and a gun’. It was instantly. CX (Chancellor) is employing increasingly explicit and fallacious arguments against the closure of the hospitality industry. They both cling to a straw. . .
“There are only 3 possible options for areas of high prevalence. . . 1) Carry out proper containment 2) Use the military to enforce regulations 3) Do nothing and make a “Barrington Declaration” and count the bodies (poor, old and BAME). When will they decide?
The so-called Great Barrington Declaration was a scientifically contested proposal that called for an easing of lockdown measures as part of a shift in strategy towards greater coverage and a herd immunity approach.
It’s a time when Covid wasn’t noticed as the severe illness it later became. It’s a moment, I think it’s an unfortunate comment.
Lord Udny-Lister, Mr Johnson’s former chief of staff
Mr Ridley told the hearing: “Certainly the Prime Minister and Chancellor needed to put in circuit breakers at this stage.
“I don’t remember the express phrase that Patrick points out and the chancellor did indeed oppose the closure of the hospitality industry, and there was some debate about the extent to which closures of the sector would have the suppressive effect that we claimed. “
Lord Udny-Lister, Johnson’s former chief of staff, later revealed that at the start of the pandemic, the then-prime minister had applied to be injected with Covid-19 on TV to “prove to the public that he is not a threat”. . ».
Speaking to the inquest, he said: “That was before the Italian scenario became obvious to everyone. It was a time when Covid didn’t feel like the severe disease it later became.
“It’s a moment in time; I think that’s an unfortunate comment. “
Insisting that Covid was a deadly disease several weeks earlier, Lord Udny-Lister said: “We were still living in the desperate hope that this would not happen; It was wrong. »
In another excerpt from the notebooks, dated October 25, Sir Patrick reported that Johnson was “rushed” in his decision-making through Sunak.
We were looking to locate other tactics to discuss with the Prime Minister and others about the uncertainties about the conceivable positions we might be in, in order to make decisions about action today.
Simon Ridley
Sir Patrick wrote: “Ridley’s assembly placed the Prime Minister’s assembly as ‘an opportunity to take a step back/but make a lot of decisions which are then overturned through Cx’. I asked the Prime Minister what the Prime Minister’s idea was that the objectives were. “What you need to achieve this is a set of mutually incompatible options. “He “owns” the truth for a day, then is rocked by an argument with Cx.
Earlier, Ridley stated that running on the Cabinet Office’s Covid task force had been “blindsided” by Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out plan.
He admitted there was some surprise when the then-chancellor’s plan to inspire others to return to restaurants in the summer of 2020 was first unveiled.
The inquiry has already won complaints about this policy, added Sir Chris Whitty, who privately described it as “eating out to fight the virus”.
The head of the investigation, Hugo Keith KC, asked Mr Ridley and said he was “extraordinarily concerned” that such a vital policy had not been brought before the task force.
“Things in unexpected ways. We focused on the recommendation we could make as part of the steps in the May 2020 document.
“This was announced as a government policy. I haven’t spent much time worrying about why and how this happens,” he said.
Mr. Keith explained that it was because he “went blind with the Treasury and nothing could be done,” and he replied, “Right. “
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