Boris Johnson is due to lift all restrictions in England on Monday as he introduces a new “learning to live well with Covid” policy — despite objections from NHS and the British Medical Association who believe the British prime minister is being unduly premature in signalling the pandemic has effectively run its course.
In an extended interview with the BBC, Boris refused to be drawn on whether he would resign if Scotland Yard served him with a fixed penalty notice for breaking Covid isolation rules during parties held at 10, Downing Street.
The 26-minute interview with Sophie Raworth, conducted on Saturday after the security conference in Munich, was broadcast on Sunday morning.
On whether he agreed with President Biden that a Russian invasion could occur within days, Boris replied: “The plan that we’re seeing is for something that could be really the biggest war in Europe since 1945.
“All the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun. That’s what our American friends think.
“Just in terms of sheer scale, you’re looking at a not just an invasion, through the east through the Donbass, but according to the intelligence that we’re seeing, coming down from the north, down from Belarus and actually encircling Kiev itself, as Joe Biden explained to a lot of us last night.
“People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail, not just for Ukrainians, but also for Russians and for young Russians.”
Nearly half the interview was devoted to what he would do if he was fined by Scotland Yard. Some analysts predict that would force a Tory leadership contest; others feel Boris might have been saved by Ukraine.
Raworth: “If the police find that you have broken the law, broken your own laws that you wrote, will you resign?”
Boris: “When I have something meaningful to say about this, which will be at the end of the process. I will make sure I do it to you, to the BBC…. and I’ll have a lot more to say about this. I can’t give a running commentary of any kind.”
Raworth tossed in an unexpected question about Prince Andrew, who is reported to be paying the erstwhile Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre) £12m — she had accused of abusing her when she was 17 — in an out of court settlement.
Raworth: “Is any public money going to be used in Prince Andrew’s settlement with Virginia Giuffre?”
Curiously, there was no denial from Boris: “It’s not my job to answer questions about the royal family.”
Raworth: “Let’s talk about Covid. The people who run the NHS says it’s too soon to scrap mandatory self-isolation for people who test positive for Covid — and to scrap the Covid test (that is available free of charge to the public). Why are you ignoring them?”
Boris: “It’s very important we should remain careful. And we’re certainly not asking people to throw caution to the winds. Covid remains a dangerous disease, particularly if you haven’t been vaccinated.
“(But) we’ve reached a stage where we think you can shift the balance away from state mandates… in favour of encouraging (people to voluntarily take precautions).
“We don’t need to keep spending at a rate of two billion pounds a month (on free testing), which is what we were doing in January. But I’m afraid what we can’t do is continue with that….
“I think it is important that people should feel comfortable. And that people should feel able to go back to work in the normal way. I do want to see our country really getting back on its feet.”