Deputy PM Oliver Dowden Dodges Condemnation Of Boris Johnson’s Views On Elderly In Covid Inquiry Evidence
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden awkwardly dodged questions from Sky News’ Kay Burley Wednesday morning on comments made by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the pandemic that the virus was “nature’s way of dealing with old people.”
Notes from the diaries of former chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, which were disclosed by the Covid Inquiry, indicate that Johnson had suggested that elderly individuals should “accept their fate” and contract Covid, allowing the younger population to continue with their lives.
During the Sky News segment, Burley reminded Dowden of his previous remarks endorsing Boris Johnson. She highlighted, “You said last April that Boris Johnson was making the right major decisions. He mentioned that Covid was just nature’s way of dealing with the elderly. Yet, you backed him.”
In his defence, Dowden said: “I believe what you’re highlighting is a singular piece of evidence among many. I won’t provide commentary on one particular piece of data as it should be viewed in a broader context.”
Burley continued: “I’m offering you a chance to acknowledge that such a statement is shocking. Deputy Prime Minister, would you like to seize this opportunity?”
However, Dowden went on to evade the question. He said: “I can’t fully acknowledge many parts of the presented account. I didn’t catch the entire session which extended beyond six hours. I certainly do not agree with how it was presented, and in many ways, I challenge the accuracy of what was stated. The best approach is to present our evidence to the inquiry.”
“Right,” the host replied, “I’m not getting anywhere with this so let’s move on.”
In evidence brought before the Covid Inquiry on Tuesday during the testimony of Lee Cain, who served as Johnson’s Director of Communications through to November 2020.
An August 2020 entry by Vallance in his journals noted that Johnson was “obsessed with older people accepting their fate and letting the young get on with life and the economy going. Quite bonkers set of exchanges.”
Handwritten notes captured by Imran Shafi, then the prime minister’s private secretary for public services, have Johnson asking “why are we destroying [the] economy for people who will die anyway soon?”
