London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 26, 2025

Everybody got 'complacent' over virus, suggests PM

PM Boris Johnson has suggested the recent spike in coronavirus cases in the UK is a result of a "fraying of people's discipline" over the summer.

He said compliance with the virus restrictions had been "high at first" but then "probably... everybody got a bit, kind of complacent and blasé".

Cases have increased sharply across the UK since the end of August.

After starting to relax restrictions before the summer, the government has since had to toughen its measures.

It comes as the latest UK figures show there have been a further 6,968 cases and another 66 deaths.

The R number - a measure of how many other people each person with the virus is infecting - has risen to between 1.3 and 1.6.

However, there is more evidence that new coronavirus infections may be increasing more slowly than in previous weeks.

In total, at least 16.8 million people in the UK - about one in four people - face extra coronavirus measures on top of the national rules, including two-thirds of people in the north of England.

The prime minister, who has been speaking to BBC journalists from around the country, denied that a lack of testing in north-east England had caused the virus to get out of control in the region.

"That's not the reality… the nation came together in March and April, what happened over the summer was a bit of sort of fraying of people's discipline and attention to those rules," he said.

The government has faced strong criticism for its mixed messages since it started easing the national lockdown in late spring.

After a steady decline in confirmed cases since the first peak in April, cases began rising again in July, with the rate of growth increasing sharply from the end of August.

In a separate interview with BBC Scotland, Mr Johnson said: "You saw what happened in March and April in Scotland, across the country, we came together and got the virus down.

"Alas, probably what happened since then is that everyone got a bit, kind of complacent and a bit blasé about transmission.

"The rules on social distancing weren't perhaps obeyed in the way they could have been, or enforced in the way they could have been, and that's why we've had to put in measures both in Scotland and elsewhere to bring it down again."

New rules, such as restricting gatherings to a maximum of six people and limiting opening hours for hospitality venues, are among the national measures that have been introduced around the UK.

"I'm afraid some of the muscle memory has faded and people are not following the guidance in the way that they should," Mr Johnson added.

Asked about comments from the mayor of Middlesbrough who said there had been a "frightening lack of communication with local government" over local lockdowns, Mr Johnson disagreed, adding: "We work very closely with local government across the country."

The prime minister also described concerns that he has not been "the old Boris" since contracting coronavirus in March as "sinister disinformation".

He said he felt "considerably better" and, thanks to "recent efforts", he was about two stones lighter than he was a year ago.

Mr Johnson has previously revealed he has hired a personal trainer to lose weight after acknowledging he was "too fat" when he caught Covid-19.

He also declined to comment when asked about the future of MP Margaret Ferrier, who travelled from Glasgow to London with Covid-19 symptoms then returned home after testing positive.

"I'm going to leave that one very much to the SNP and to their whips - that's for them to decide but it's very important that everyone obeys the rules and the guidance," he said.

The Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into Ms Ferrier, who has been suspended by the SNP and faces calls to quit as an MP.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
×