Guto Harry claims that Boris Johnson has become uneasy about the size of the state after he spent more than 300 billion pounds. Photo: Jeremy Selwyn
Boris Johnson feared the Covid response had left the UK infantilized and in a «permanent state of doublethink», said his former director of public affairs.
Guto Harry claimed Mr Johnson made uncomfortable by the size of the state after more than £300bn was spent in response to the pandemic.
Speaking on his LBC Unprecedented podcast, Mr Harry recalled warnings during summit meetings about the impact of more than a year of draconian restrictions. on daily life, including three quarantines.
“He was mainly afraid that the UK had become infantile, essentially dependent on the government telling them what to do, how to live, who they can see, where they can go and so on – and, most importantly, pay their bills.” he said.
“He told the cabinet that the state has become too big, too fat and too expensive, that it has spent too much, and for a party supposedly having a small government, this is clearly unacceptable.
“So, his words, quite frankly conveyed to the Cabinet of Ministers, were: “Now we live in a constant state of doublethink. We want to provide better services to taxpayers.”
The latest issue is available and is extremely relevant and talks about this crazy transition from coronavirus to cost of living crisis, as well as @BorisJohnson's memories of being in intensive care https://t.co/dFu9uW5Ddz
— Guto Harri (@ Guto_Harri) June 1, 2023
Mr Harry said Mr Johnson used other meetings to warn officials against talking about a recession to avoid a 'self-fulfilling' prophecy as the economy battled the effects of the pandemic.
< p >“Another problem for him was a lack of enthusiasm, as he saw it in the Treasury. «If Rishi is a Thatcher, let's do it,» he groaned one day without any expectations. and compared it to the «Computer Says No» sketch from the comedy «Little Britain» — quarreled with Sunak, then chancellor, over the magnitude of his party's spending commitments.
«Rishi, he said, signed too many checks, but received very little money. It is time for tax cuts, deregulation and dynamism,” he said.
In response, Mr. Sunak «reminded the prime minister that his vision was to spend massive amounts of taxpayer money on endless infrastructure projects, more hospitals, more cops, more doctors, more nurses, more things.»
“And he used a very memorable phrase:“ We had a song for a long time. Don't we want to sing it anymore?»
Elsewhere on the podcast, Mr Harry described the unrest in Downing Street after Mr Johnson gave a speech to business leaders in November 2021 during which he lost his seat, before detailing his visit to the themed Peppa Pig World parka.
“I think it's a daily job of maintaining appearance. So often you have to speak — at private receptions, behind closed doors at meetings, with high-ranking guests. And, of course, you have to give speeches.
«And there was one performance in particular when Boris lost his thread and started talking about the world of Peppa Pig, which made a lot of people seriously concerned about his state of mind.»
According to his former political strategist, Mr. Johnson had to be brought hospital in a wheelchair during a coronavirus attack in April 2020, a few weeks after the first lockdown.
He couldn't go upstairs to the Downing Street apartment and privately feared that doctors would have to perform a tracheostomy .
Johnson is «extremely upset» by Javid
When lockdowns eased after the introduction of the vaccine, Mr Johnson is said to have been «extremely disappointed» with Sajid Javid, his then health secretary, for not immediately laying out a clear enough reform agenda.
“There was an all-powerful controversy over the end of free universal Covid testing,” continued Mr Harry.
“Sage chimed in with a remarkably well-rehearsed line about being asked to disarm when the enemy is still hiding there. But testing cost £2bn a month.”
He added that Mr. Johnson believed the public was «epileptically tired» of Covid and personally considered it «strikingly inappropriate» while preparations were made to deal with any future pandemics.
«He was in charge. a day on this and saved a fortune,” Mr Harry said.
On Wednesday, Mr Johnson said he had handed over all of his unedited WhatsApp messages and notebooks from the pandemic to the government in defying Mr. — well Sunaka.
He said he wants the material to be fully provided for the Covid investigation, despite the fact that the cabinet has so far refused to provide unedited messages and documents.
An ally of Sajid Javid said: “This is an interesting version of the story. Despite political opposition from some quarters, Sajid was a proponent of NHS reform. Facts about pandemic policy will be revealed in an independent investigation.»
A rep for Mr. Johnson said: «Boris has not participated in this podcast and does not acknowledge its content.»
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