Boris Johnson has been accused of “hurtling towards a crash crash” after “ignoring the warning signs”, follow scrutiny of his new coronavirus measures during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).
Taking to the despatch box, the prime minister argued that the 16,000 positive coronavirus cases that went unreported due to a “technical glitch” did change the “basic distribution” of the virus.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer responded: “The prime minister says this doesn’t change the basic distribution of the virus and yet thousands of people were walking around when they should have been self-isolating.
“This patently has an effect on the basic distribution.
“If this was an isolated example, I think the British people might understand but there’s a pattern here: on care homes, of PPE, on exams, testing.
“The prime minister ignores the warning signs, hurtles towards a car crash, then looks in the rear mirror and says: ‘what’s all that about?’
“It’s quite literally government in hindsight.”
Johnson hit back, accusing Sir Keir of hypocrisy.
“Two weeks ago, I set out [a strategy for local lockdowns] and said that we would go forward with national measures and intensify the rule of six.
“Two weeks ago, he supported it. He even went on the Nick Ferrari show and said he supported it.
“Yet last night, Mr Speaker, the Labour Party abstained from the rule of six.
“He asked what we’re doing to support local measures. He can’t even be bothered to support them himself.”
Starmer replied: “For the prime minister’s benefit, let me take it slowly for him.
“We support measures to protect health, we want track and trace to work but the government is messing things up and it’s our duty to point that out.”
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