The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
Boris Johnson feared that he ‘blinked too soon’ in plunging the UK into a second Covid lockdown after being warned that gloomy modelling which bounced him into the move was ‘very wrong’.
The former Prime Minister confirmed on October 31 2020 that the nation would be put into a shutdown to avoid a ‘medical and moral disaster’ for the health service.
The decision was, in part, based on data from Cambridge University in conjunction with Public Health England, which suggested that England could see 4,000 Covid fatalities per day by December without action to slow the spread of the virus.
But Mr Johnson told colleagues the next day that the data was ‘already very wrong’, based on an assessment by scientists, according to the latest WhatsApp messages.
In a separate exchange, in June 2020, Mr Johnson was eager to ease curbs on retail, hospitality and gatherings but was told he was ‘too far ahead of public opinion’.
The former Prime Minister confirmed on October 31 2020 (pictured) that the nation would be put into a shutdown to avoid a ‘medical and moral disaster’ for the health service
The 4,000 deaths per day scenario was based on the assumption that there would be 1,000 per day by the start of November. Real numbers of people dying are significantly lower, with an average 182 per day in England and 162 confirmed yesterday for the whole UK
