Boris Johnson warned against ‘overreacting’ to the threat of Covid-19 during the early stages of the pandemic, according to insider reports.
The prime minister said the “best thing would be to ignore it” after China imposed the world’s first lockdown as it became clear there was no ‘Emergency break-the-glass’ plan to unveil.
“The general view was it is just hysteria. It was just like a flu,” a source told the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg, saying there was a “lack of concern and energy”.
An unnamed Cabinet minister is also strongly critical of the decision to open up the economy in the summer and the reluctance to lock down again, when infections soared again.
“We knew there was going to be a second wave and there was a row about whether people should work from home or not – it was totally ridiculous,” the minister says.
In September, “a small group inside Downing Street repeatedly tried to change Johnson’s mind” and convince him to lock down, but struggled to persuade him, Ms Kuenssberg claims.
The account comes as the UK prepares to mark the anniversary of the first lockdown, after the death toll surged past a once-unthinkable 125,000 fatalities.
Download the Covid Confidential podcast on BBC Sounds and watch the full report on BBC iPlayer, here.
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