Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is ‘baffled’ by science, former adviser tells inquiry | Trending Viral hub

LONDON — Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, struggled to understand much of science during the coronavirus pandemic, its chief scientific advisor said Monday.

In much-anticipated testimony about the country’s public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick Vallance said he and others faced repeated problems getting Johnson to understand the science.

“I think I’m right in saying that the prime minister gave up science at 15,” he said. “I think he would be the first to admit that it wasn’t his strong suit and that he struggled with the concepts and we don’t need to repeat them… often.”

In extracts from his diary passed to the inquiry, Vallance said Johnson was “baffled” by the graphs and data and that watching him “understand the statistics is horrifying”.

Vallance said Johnson’s struggles were not unique and said many leaders in Europe were having trouble understanding scientific evidence and advice, especially in the early stages of the pandemic in early 2020.

“I would also say that the meeting I remember was with fellow advisors from all over Europe, when one of them – and I won’t say from which country – declared that the leader of that country had huge problems with exponential curves, and the phone call erupted in laughter. , because it was like that in all countries,” he said.

“So I don’t think there was necessarily a unique inability to understand some of these concepts with the prime minister at the time, but it was hard work at times trying to make sure that he had understood what a particular graph or piece of data meant. he was saying.”

The UK has one of the highest COVID-19 death tolls in Europe, with the virus recorded as a cause of death for more than 232,000 people.

Johnson, who was forced to resign as prime minister in September 2022 following revelations of parties breaking the rules at his Downing Street residence during the pandemic, must address the investigation sooner Christmas.

The inquiry, led by retired judge Heather Hallett, is expected to take three years to complete. Johnson agreed in late 2021 to hold a public inquiry after heavy pressure from grieving families, who criticized evidence emerging about his actions.