Following the conclusions of the Covid Inquiry, Boris Johnson’s government was found to have effectively killed tens of thousands of people unnecessarily.
His response was not to apologise and accept what the vast majority of the UK had already determined for themselves but to go to his right-wing mouthpiece and blame the judge for exposing him officially whilst creating an impression that only a moron would be blinded by.
Boris Johnson’s self-exculpatory mantra—that his government was simply “doing our level best, under pretty difficult circumstances, to get it right and to save lives”—is not just a political soundbite; it is an active obscenity. It seeks to airbrush a legacy of lethal delay, systemic incompetence, and brazen hypocrisy, painting a portrait of noble struggle over a reality of chaotic failure. To accept this narrative is to betray the memory of the tens of thousands who died unnecessarily and the millions who made profound sacrifices while their leaders prevaricated and partied.
The following timeline details not a “level best,” but a litany of unforgivable failings and a consistent pattern of deception.
Timeline of Failings and Falsehoods
| Period | The “Level Best” (The Reality of Failings) | The Lies & Hypocrisy |
|---|---|---|
| Jan-Feb 2020 | Complacency and Inaction: • Despite clear warnings from WHO and events in Italy, the government treats COVID-19 as a distant threat. • Pandemic preparedness exercises (like Cygnus in 2016) had been ignored; stockpiled PPE was found to be inadequate or expired. • A deliberate policy of pursuing “herd immunity” is discussed in scientific circles, with Sir Patrick Vallance stating it was a “logical” aim. | The Public Message: A narrative of containment and control is presented. The radical threat is downplayed. The concept of herd immunity is denied as a formal strategy only after public outcry. |
| March 2020 | Catastrophic Delay: • 3 March: Johnson boasts of shaking hands “with everybody” in a hospital, including COVID patients. • 12-13 March: The government abandons contact tracing and mass testing, moving to the “delay” phase, effectively allowing uncontrolled spread. • 23 March: The first lockdown is finally announced, weeks after other European nations. This delay is estimated by Imperial College to have doubled the initial death toll. | “Following the Science”: This phrase is used as a shield to justify the delayed lockdown, creating the impression of inevitability rather than admitting a failed initial strategy. |
| April-June 2020 | The PPE Scandal & Care Home Carnage: • Frontline NHS and care staff face critical shortages of PPE, forced to use bin bags and reused gowns. • A “VIP lane” for procurement is established, funneling billions in contracts to companies with political connections but no experience, many of which provided faulty, unusable equipment. • 15,000 patients are discharged from hospitals into care homes without being tested for COVID-19, seeding the virus in the most vulnerable population. This was not a mistake; it was official policy. | “A Protective Ring Around Care Homes”: (Health Secretary Matt Hancock, 15 May 2020). This statement was a grotesque lie, delivered while the policy of untested hospital discharges was actively dismantling any such protection. |
| July-Sept 2020 | A Botched System & Dangerous Gimmicks: • £37 billion is spent on a privatised, centralised Test and Trace system under Dido Harding. It repeatedly fails to hit targets, with local health teams sidelined despite their superior effectiveness. • “Eat Out to Help Out”: The government actively pays people to congregate indoors in August, a policy now widely recognised by scientists as having significantly accelerated the second wave. | “World-Beating” Test and Trace: Johnson repeatedly uses this term to describe a system that was, in reality, a chaotic and costly failure, misleading the public about its efficacy. |
| Autumn/Winter 2020 | Dither and Delay, Again: • Scientists plead for a “circuit-breaker” lockdown in September. The government ignores them for weeks. • Johnson delays the inevitable second lockdown until 5 November, again allowing the virus to surge uncontrollably. • The promise of a “normal Christmas” is made, only to be abruptly cancelled for millions at the last minute, causing immense distress and confusion. | “The Bureaucracy of the State” vs. “The Common Sense of the People”: Rhetoric pits the government against its own scientific advisors, framing public health measures as a loss of liberty rather than a medical necessity. |
| 2020-2021 | Partygate: The Ultimate Betrayal: • While the public obeyed strict rules—missing funerals, dying alone, unable to comfort grieving relatives—at least 16 social gatherings were held in Downing Street and Whitehall. • These included a “bring your own booze” party in the Downing Street garden (20 May 2020), a birthday party for the Prime Minister (19 June 2020), and a drunken leaving do on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral (16 April 2021). | “All Guidance Was Followed Completely”: (Boris Johnson to Parliament, 1 Dec 2021). A direct and deliberate lie. He and the government repeatedly denied any rule-breaking until irrefutable evidence emerged, leading to 126 Fixed Penalty Notices, including one for the Prime Minister himself—a first in British history. |
| 2022 | The Official Condemnation: • The Sue Gray report details a culture of rule-breaking and excessive drinking at the heart of government. • The Commons Privileges Committee investigation finds Johnson repeatedly and deliberately misled Parliament, a resigning matter for any previous Prime Minister. | “I was ambushed by a cake”: Johnson’s absurd, belated defence for his birthday party, claiming he was unaware it was a party, epitomises the contempt in which he held the public’s intelligence. |
The Level Worst
To look upon this timeline and conclude “our level best” was done is an act of profound historical vandalism. The reality is the precise opposite:
- On Competence: The “level best” was a lethal combination of ideological aversion to state intervention, a chaotic “chumocracy” in procurement, and a fatal dithering at every critical juncture.
- On Truth: The “level best” was a relentless campaign of misinformation—from “world-beating” systems that didn’t work to “protective rings” that were non-existent, to brazen, provable lies delivered to the House of Commons.
The “difficult circumstances” were not just the virus; they were of this government’s own making through its delays and its dishonesty. The phrase “to save lives” rings hollow when uttered by a man who presided over a culture that treated lockdown rules with utter contempt. The true “level best” was shown by the British public, the NHS staff, and the key workers—all of whom were failed, betrayed, and then insulted by this bankrupt and cynical narrative. It was not their level best; it was the level worst, and it deserves not sympathy but only the coldest condemnation history can offer.
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