Boris Johnson 'insults' frontline care workers with 'flippant' remarks, Keir Starmer said today in a bruising Prime Minister's Questions.
The Prime Minister repeatedly refused to accept his government had been too slow to act to prevent coronavirus tearing through Britain's care homes.
And he refused to apologise for claiming care homes had not properly followed advice.
The Labour leader said the comments had caused "huge offence" to frontline care workers - and challenged him to apologise.
The Prime Minister said: "The last thing I wanted to do is to blame care workers for what has happened or for any of them to think that I was blaming them because they've worked hard, incredibly hard, throughout this crisis, looking after some of the most vulnerable people in our country and doing an outstanding job."
He added: "And as he knows, tragically, 257 of them have lost their lives.
"And when it comes to taking blame, I take full responsibility for what has happened."
The PM went on to claim "nobody knew" the virus was being transmitted asymptomatically in the early days of the pandemic.
But Starmer shot back: "That's not an apology, and it just won't wash."
He added: "It was clear what he was saying, and the Prime Minister needs to understand just how raw this is for many people on the front line - and for many who have lost loved ones."
He quoted a care home manager who branded the PM's leadership on care homes "an absolute travesty".
Again, Mr Johnson refused to apologise, claiming again nobody knew that the disease was being passed between people without symptoms - and branding Mr Starmer "Captain Hindsight".
Mr Starmer, becoming animated, said: "By refusing to apologise the Prime Minister rubs salt into the wounds of the very people he stood at his front door and clapped.
"The Prime Minister and the Health Secretary must be the only people left in the country who think they put a protective ring around care homes."
He said an estimated 1 in 20 care home residents have died from the virus, which he said was "chilling."
The Labour leader accused Mr Johnson of being "flippant" and "continuing to insult those on the front line by not taking these issues seriously."
And he said "huge mistakes" have been made.
He went on: "The decision to discharge 25,000 people to care homes without tests was clearly a mistake. Will the Prime Minister simply accept his Government was just too slow to act on care homes?"
Mr Johnson said the understanding of the disease "changed dramatically" over recent months and defended the Government's action plan.
