Boris Johnson left on a bike ride in July.
Photographer: Rui Vieira / AFP via Getty Images
Photographer: Rui Vieira / AFP via Getty Images
Boris Johnson has a new enemy in his battle to convince the British public to follow the lockdown rules: himself.
On Sunday, the prime minister was seen on his bicycle, along with his security agents, on East London Olympic Park, seven miles from its official Westminster residence.
Government guidelines say that outdoor exercise should be limited and that people should stay in their environment. The prime minister and his team warned on Monday that a tougher lockdown may be necessary if people continue to ignore the restrictions.
The episode, first reported by the capital’s Evening Standard newspaper, sparked a slew of questions to Johnson’s office, which failed to provide an explanation of his trip.
In the end, it fell to Health Secretary Matt Hancock to give the Prime Minister some political cover, saying a 7 mile jaunt for some exercise is allowed. “It’s okay to take a long walk or bike ride,” Hancock told a news conference. “But stay local.”
Dangerous
Still, Johnson remains open to criticism, and the risks are many for a leader whose pandemic strategy has been characterized by U-turns in a country that already takes a looser approach to coronavirus rules than its neighbors. A succession of British politicians and public figures have been caught breaking the lockdown since the start of the pandemic, leading some, but not all, to apologize or resign.
The prime minister’s bike ride could undermine his own government’s message on what he says is a ‘dangerous’ moment for the country, with the pandemic getting out of control and hospitals on the verge of being overwhelmed.
Almost 82,000 people in the UK have died of the disease – at an average of 926 a day in the past week – and 32,294 are currently being treated in hospital, Hancock said Monday. Although 2.2 million people have been vaccinated, more than anywhere else in Europe, ministers urged the British not to be complacent.
The UK faces tougher lockdown restrictions as Covid infections increase
Johnson and his officials spent much of Monday urging people to abide by the rules for stay-at-home except for essential travel, supporting the police and supermarkets who were hard-lining to enforce them.
If the public thinks the Prime Minister is bending the guidelines, they may wonder why they should take a responsible approach. That could set off another wave of rule violations and get worse the increase in infections.
Dr. Richard Vautrey, chairman of the British Medical Association’s committee of GPs, says British medical professionals are ready to meet vaccination goals, but vaccine stock is a big variable.
As the chief spokesman for his government, Johnson tries to do just that convince the British population to get vaccinated in the coming weeks and months. This too can prove more difficult if its credibility is damaged.
Politically, Johnson’s journey opens him up until allegations of double standards. It brings back memories of the most infamous example of alleged lockdown rule violation, when his former adviser Dominic Cummings drove 400 kilometers to seek help from daycare at a time when the rest of the country was told to stay home.
Keep Cummings
When that story came out last May, Johnson Held loyally by Cummings, he refused to fire him despite public outcry, calling for his resignation from senior colleagues within the ruling Conservative Party.
Cummings is now out of government, but officials were concerned at the time the damage the controversy would do to public compliance with lockdown rules. According to pollsters, Cummings’s journey is still regularly raised in focus groups when discussing the limitations.
Some in Johnson’s own party also fear it has been a long-lasting hit their prospects. The general election is not scheduled for 2024, but local competitions are scheduled for May.
It’s not yet clear how much of a furor Johnson’s Sunday afternoon bike ride will cause. For example, one question his officials have not answered is whether he rode to East London before getting on a bike.
As more damaging details emerge, the prime minister faces renewed criticism from his own party. Ultimately, voters could choose to punish him when they get the next chance.