London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Bereaved relatives of Covid victims slam Boris Johnson after UK Prime Minister pictured painting on vacation

Bereaved relatives of Covid victims slam Boris Johnson after UK Prime Minister pictured painting on vacation

Relatives of Covid-19 victims have hit out at "deeply upsetting" images of Boris Johnson seen painting while on vacation -- just one day after his government was slated for its handling of the pandemic.
The photographs appear to show the British Prime Minister painting at an easel outside the villa he is believed to be staying at with his family in Marbella, Spain.

A spokesperson for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said in a statement to CNN: "It's deeply upsetting for those of us who lost loved ones to see the Prime Minister painting in a luxury villa rather than responding to the devastating news yesterday's report brought. If the Prime Minister wishes his condolences to carry any meaning, he should be drawing up a new timeline for the upcoming inquiry."

The criticism came in the wake of a 150-page report, an initial assessment by the British Parliament's Health and Social Care, and Science and Technology committees, which said the United Kingdom's Covid response was slow and "reactive."

Among the biggest failures of the government's approach was an initial policy at the start of the pandemic to try to manage the spread of Covid, rather than stop it spreading altogether, the lawmakers said.

They also criticized a delayed lockdown, failures in the UK's contact-tracing program, and a lack of attention given to the most vulnerable, specifically those in the social care sector and at-risk communities -- namely Black, Asian and other ethnic minorities. One bright spot for the UK government was the speedy and effective deployment of its vaccine program, the report highlighted.

The UK has one of the highest global death tolls from the pandemic and more than 138,000 people have died, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

In its statement the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said: "Following yesterday's report, bereaved families across the UK will be waking up this morning agonizing over whether their loved ones might still be with them if Johnson's Government had made different decisions. Meanwhile, Johnson himself is relaxing on a beach."

The statement added that the report "only scratched the surface of what the country has been through over the past two years," criticized Johnson for dragging his heels over a public inquiry into the pandemic and called for an inquiry to begin immediately.

In the Prime Minister's absence, Oliver Dowden -- the Conservative party co-chairman -- apologized to families who had lost loved ones and said he welcomed the report.

"Of course, I'm sorry, as the Prime Minister is sorry," Dowden told Sky News. "We're sorry for the losses that all those families have suffered."

Dowden admitted the government would "do some things differently with hindsight," but added "this was an unprecedented crisis ... there isn't some perfect rulebook that we could follow."

He added the government would be "fully analyzing and giving a full response to the report."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×