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Johnson under pressure to explain UK virus plan on return to work
LONDON, April 25, 2020 (AFP) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson is
expected to return to work soon after his recovery from COVID-19, as pressure
mounts on his government to explain how to get Britain out of lockdown.
Johnson, 55, has been recuperating at the British prime ministerial retreat,
Chequers, outside London since his release from hospital on April 12.
He spent three days in intensive care and later admitted that “things could
have gone either way”, forcing him to take it easy before returning to the
political fray.
But there have been increasing signs his return to Downing Street could be
imminent, after officials said he had spoken to Queen Elizabeth II and also US
President Donald Trump.
Trump on Thursday said Johnson was full of “tremendous energy” and sounded
“incredible” when they talked on the phone.
“I was actually surprised… he was ready to go,” he told reporters.
The Daily Telegraph, Johnson’s former employer, suggested he could be back
at his desk on Monday, and hold briefing meetings with individual cabinet
ministers.
But Health Secretary Matt Hancock was more cautious, despite the prime
minister’s progress.
“I spoke to him yesterday, he’s cheerful, and he’s ebullient and he’s
definitely on the mend in a big way,” he said on Friday.
“When exactly he comes back is a matter for him and his doctors.”
– Growing criticism –
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been deputising since Johnson was taken
to hospital on April 6, chairing cabinet meetings about political strategy to
fight the outbreak.
But while nominally in charge, Raab as “first secretary of state” would
have required overall cabinet approval to take any major decisions, such as
easing lockdown measures.
In reality, Raab, senior minister Michael Gove and Health Minister Matt
Hancock have largely shared the leadership burden in Johnson’s absence, which
has coincided with the suspected peak in hospital deaths and positive tests.
Britain has been one of the worst-hit countries in the world by the virus,
with hundreds of deaths reported every day.
The actual death toll could rise further when deaths in the community are
taken into account, particularly from care homes.
While Johnson was away, senior ministers have faced collective criticism
over shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE) and a lack of widespread
testing, particularly of frontline health and social care workers.
“The government hasn’t been as agile as it should have been,” Chaand
Nagpaul, chair of the council of the British Medical Association (BMA), told
Sky News television.
“This is extremely emotionally taxing and it’s showing its toll on the
healthcare workforce.”
Johnson has received support during his illness, which has been seen as a
clear demonstration of the indiscriminate nature of the virus.
But sympathy could wane as he once again becomes the focal point of the
government if issues about gaps in PPE supply and lack of testing persist.
His actions in the early days of the outbreak came in for harsh criticism
last week, after he held off introducing strict measures adopted by European
neighbours.
The main opposition Labour party leader Keir Starmer accused the government
of being “slow into lockdown, slow on testing, slow on protective equipment”.
He will also be expected to immediately explain how he plans to get the
country’s economy up and running again while controlling the spread of the
virus.
– Deep recession –
There have been growing demands for an exit strategy from the current
national lockdown, which was first imposed on March 23, extended on April 16
and is due for review on May 7.
Ministers have so far refused publicly to speculate on when restrictions
will be lifted, saying that experts were not sure Britain was over the peak of
the outbreak.
There have been calls for more clarity, however, including from within
Johnson’s ruling Conservative party, as the economic consequences of the
outbreak become more stark.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said the government needed to “bite
the bullet and do it”, as some businesses began reopening despite the ban.
The Bank of England warned on Thursday that the country faces its worst
recession in “several centuries”.
Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also upped the ante by revealing
her broader strategy, including the possible phased reopening of some
businesses and schools.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster has also suggested she
could lift restrictions before England.
BSS/AFP/MMA/1110HRS