In response to the official report on the handling of the pandemic, readers have shared their personal tragedies and criticised Boris Johnson's leadership. The report, led by Baroness Hallett, detailed the 'ineptitude' of the former prime minister, describing his government's actions as 'too little, too late'.
One reader recounted losing an aunt and uncle to Covid within an hour of each other in different Manchester hospitals, and later his father died after being rushed out of hospital due to Covid fears. He noted that while his family followed lockdown rules, Johnson and his staff were partying in Whitehall, calling it an 'understatement' that they should be ashamed.
Another reader described arriving at Gatwick from Mexico in March 2020 to find no advice, posters, or social distancing measures, contrasting with the precautions seen in Tulum. He blamed the concentration of power in Westminster and the reliance on a 'flawed individual'.
A third reader compared Johnson unfavourably to Gordon Brown, who during a 2007 foot-and-mouth outbreak immediately returned to London to chair a Cobra meeting and studied past reports. He argued that fewer people would have died if a similar leader had been in charge during Covid.
The letters also referenced the House of Commons privileges committee report from June 2023, which confirmed Johnson lied to parliament about parties. Readers expressed that the inquiry has now exposed the full extent of his unpreparedness and chaotic leadership, except for the vaccine rollout.
