James O’Brien challenges Tory supporters in epic monologue on Boris Johnson’s pandemic failures

James O’Brien, a host on LBC radio, said it was ‘about time’ the public wake up and realise the carnage unleashed on the UK economy by Boris Johnson and his ministers.

In the seven-minute monologue, O’Brien said the government had failed in its primary duty to protect public health and the economy following dismal economic figures from the Office of National Statistics that showed Britain was on course for the worst recession in a century.

‘You can’t really get much worse than the worst economic performance in the G7 and the worst excess death rate in Europe.

‘If you’re in the business of doffing your cap and tugging your forelock at people like Jacob Rees-Mogg, Iain Duncan Smith, Digby Jones and Boris Johnson, how the hell do you do that today?’ O’Brien asked.

‘We said on day one it was all about balancing health and wealth. They’ve managed to mess up both. That’s quite incredible.’

O’Brien gave Downing Street’s management of the pandemic a ‘U’, the lowest grade once awarded in A-level exams.

He also said Brexit supporters ‘waving your little flags at Boris Johnson’ were to blame for some of the turmoil the nation is facing.

‘You see, being proved right doesn’t pay the bills or save the people who have been proved wrong from unemployment and potential penury – there’s no pleasure in winning an argument when the victims are the very people you’re arguing with,’ he explained.

Touching on an overnight announcement by the Department for Education that would see A-levels calculated under a new formula, O’Brien said the 11th hour change was a ‘crash course’ on how not to lead a country.

Education minister Gavin Williams announced plans on Tuesday to introduce a new formula for predicting A-levels scores since students were unable to take tests due to the coronavirus.

The department began preparing for the release of results, which are due on Thursday, as far back as March.

Another education minister, Nick Gibb, gave himself an ‘A-‘ for his handling of the issue.

O’Brien went on a rant saying the government was trying to distract the public from its own mistakes by focusing media attention towards refugees crossing the sea in dinghies and picking fights with an ice cream company.

In a series of tweets, US ice cream company Ben and Jerry’s issued a call for the home secretary to show some ‘humanity’ to asylum seeker making the perilous journey across the English Channel.

The comment prompted a Home Office source close to Priti Patel to brand the ice cream ‘overpriced junk food’.

They said: ‘Priti is working day and night to bring an end to these small boat crossings, which are facilitated by international criminal gangs and are rightly of serious concern to the British people.

‘If that means upsetting the social media team for a brand of overpriced junk food, then so be it.’

O’Brien found the whole episode ridiculous: ‘The actual home secretary fighting with an ice cream company. Not even an ice cream company, fighting with the Hoxton hipsters who run the social media account of an ice cream company.

‘The home secretary – the third most senior member of the government, of a government that has presided over the worst excess death rate in Europe and the worst economic performance in the G7.

‘And what’s she doing today? Shouting at ice cream.’

‘Come on!’ he added. ‘When are we actually going to wake up to the problems being caused by politicians will never be solved by being vile to other people born in foreign countries.’

O’Brien ended with giving his listeners a clear choice: ‘What do you want? Clarity and leadership, or someone screaming at ice cream?’