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Politics Weekly UK

Covid death toll raises questions for Johnson: Politics Weekly podcast

Politics Weekly UK

The Guardian

Politics, News

4.01.4K Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2021

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Recorded before Boris Johnson’s statement to parliament: Jessica Elgot and Michael Savage discuss the UK’s Covid response. Patrick Wintour and Bronwen Maddox look at how a Biden presidency might affect UK foreign policy. Plus, Rajeev Syal speaks to the new head of Unison, Christina McAnea, about the ‘day of reckoning’ coming for the government. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Transcript

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0:29.2

Hi there just to let you know that before we start the show I had a slight issue with my

0:35.8

microphone when I was recording today so it sounds a bit different it's still a great show

0:39.8

though so let's get on with it.

0:44.0

The Guardian. The Prime Minister insists his government did everything they could to prevent 100,000 people dying from COVID-19 in the UK, but could it have done more?

0:54.7

I'm Jessica Elgot, deputy political editor of The Guardian, and this is Politics Weekly. I am deeply sorry for every life that has been lost and of course as

1:09.8

as Prime Minister I take full responsibility for everything that the government has done.

1:16.0

Boris Johnson apologised to the country on Tuesday evening as the death toll in the UK surpassed 100,000 people.

1:22.0

However, his assertion that everything was done to save lives

1:25.6

left many experts angry. So did decisions made by him and his ministers throughout the

1:30.8

pandemic add to an already dire situation.

1:35.2

As we take stock of that number, we can also look with a bit of hope to the vaccination program

1:39.5

here in the UK, as Rao's boil over about a supply to the EU.

1:43.0

With the UK still managed to hit its target of vaccinating the most vulnerable 15 million,

1:48.0

including all over 70s by mid-February.

1:51.0

All this talk of vaccine success of course has some Tory MPs

1:54.8

demanding a roadmap out of the lockdown. Will the government bow to pressure from

...

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