'Boris Johnson is unable to show grieving families the courtesy of truth or sincerity'

Former prime minister Boris Johnson arrives at the Covid inquiry in London for a second day of questioning

(Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

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Rachel Clarke in The Guardian
Kim Ghattas in the Financial Times
The Times leading article
Con Coughlin in The Telegraph

By The Week UK

published 7 December 2023

How can any of us move on from the pandemic in the face of Boris Johnson’s contempt?

Rachel Clarke in The Guardian

The most "salient lesson" from Boris Johnson's testimony at the Covid inquiry is not an insight into pandemic management but "the exquisite pain that the misuse of words can inflict on the public", writes Rachel Clarke, an NHS palliative care doctor, in The Guardian. The former PM's testimony has only demonstrated to distraught and traumatised relatives "that he will not show them the courtesy of truth or sincerity".

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"Fury and fear are pulsating through both Israeli and Palestinian societies," says Kim Ghattas in the Financial Times. "Globally, a new generation on both sides of the divide is reconnecting with the viscerally intense feelings this conflict awakens." And while there are "many powerful voices speaking out in support for peace, more than we’ve heard in years… they may be drowned out by the extremes".

The British Medical Association has announced that junior doctors will stage the longest strike in NHS history over the festive period. This is an "egregious decision", said The Times in its leading article. Hospitals are "never busier or under greater pressure" than during winter. "To say that people will almost certainly die who otherwise might have lived as a result of this strike action is not an exaggeration."

"With the Ukraine conflict languishing in stalemate, the possibility that Russian president Vladimir Putin might yet emerge victorious from his ill-judged invasion cannot be ignored, with all the implications such an outcome would have for Europe’s security," said Con Coughlin in The Telegraph. But despite the "obvious threat" that Moscow poses, Western leaders "appear disinclined to credit it with the seriousness it merits".

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