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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Natasha Wynarczyk

Families who lost loved ones to Covid outraged by prospect of Boris Johnson return

Grieving families who lost their loved ones to Covid are outraged by the prospect of Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister again.

The former premier, who resigned in July in disgrace, could be making a fresh leadership bid.

But Coronavirus victims’ families have been left furious by the idea of scandal-hit Mr Johnson returning.

Rivka Gottlieb, whose father Michael died in April 2020 aged 73, two weeks after contracting the virus, said: “My blood boils at the thought of him becoming Prime Minister again.

“I’m livid that he can even consider coming back after everything he got wrong. He oversaw the deaths of 200,000 people, many of whom couldn’t say goodbye to their loved ones, while he was partying. He’s not fit for office.”

Covid rules meant Michael’s funeral had to be strictly close family only, something the North London music therapist, 51, says was really hard.

The day after Lobby Akinnola buried his dad Femi, Mr Johnson had a party. Femi died in April 2020, aged 60, after contracting Covid while working as a carer.

London-based activist Lobby, 31, said: “[Mr Johnson] literally said, ‘Let the bodies pile high’, and we are supposed to swallow this and then follow his leadership again? That’s beyond insulting.

“If his premiership has already proven to be quite literally lethal for the people of this country, I do not understand how anyone can [say] he should be given another term.”

Deborah Lewis, who lost her father Richard, 73, during the first wave in April 2020, has described a second Johnson premiership as a huge betrayal.

Milton Keynes-based Deborah set up support network Covid19FamiliesUK that helps more than 5,000 families.

She said: “Not only have the bereaved had to endure devastating personal losses but have also had to suffer the knowledge that as their loved ones died, those in power partied and broke the law.

Then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his special advisor Dominic Cummings (AFP via Getty Images)

“This sets a dangerous precedent for politicians basically giving them carte blanche to break to law and break their own rules with no consequences. This cannot be allowed to happen. Haven’t the bereaved suffered enough?”.

Leshie Chandrapala’s dad Ranith, a bus driver who served the route to Ealing Hospital in West London without PPE, died in May 2020 aged 64.

She said: “I feel like the Tories are suffering from some sort of amnesia at the moment.

“They chose to force Boris out, and now just weeks later, they’re considering taking him back. They are making a farce out of our democracy.

“They’re just caught up in their own factionalism, and they don’t care about the nation at all.”

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