"Boris Johnson's coronavirus response has been as bad as Donald Trump's"
29 April 2020, 09:34
"Boris's Johnson's coronavirus response has been as bad as Donald Trump"
The former US ambassador to the UN has said Boris Johnson's response to the coronavirus crisis has been as bad as Donald Trump's.
Samantha Power said the UK reacted slowly to the coronavirus pandemic and missed a series of opportunities to get the virus under control.
Speaking to Tom Swarbrick, she said: "The Covid response, unfortunately, resembles that of President Trump in ways that don't speak well of his leadership.
"A disregarding of public health expertise, wishful thinking, a lack of accountability, a refusal to crack down on misinformation.
"Also, a desire to put the economy over public health that in the end, ends up damaging both the economy and the health of tens of thousands of people."
Ms Power did say, however, that the Prime Minister's experiences puts him in the perfect position to lead the world on the response to the disease.
She said his recovery from Covid-19, along with Donald Trump's retreat and China's inability to mobilise international institutions, puts him in a position to lead and speak with great empathy about the virus.
She addd: "My president is not about to perform a role that combines scientific rigour and empathy. We're all rooting for Prime Minister Johnson to step into that role."
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