London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Boris Johnson 'bitterly regrets' care home crisis

Boris Johnson 'bitterly regrets' care home crisis

Boris Johnson has said he "bitterly regrets" the coronavirus crisis in care homes - and the government was "working very hard" to tackle it.

Latest figures show deaths in care homes continued to rise even amid a fall in Covid-19 hospital deaths.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the PM of failing to get a grip on the issue at Prime Minister's Questions.

The PM said a "huge effort" was going in - and there had been a "palpable improvement" in recent days.

He added that "it has been enraging to see the difficulties we've had in supplying PPE to those who need it" but the government is now "engaged in a massive plan to ramp up domestic supply".

The prime minister also pledged to reach 200,000 tests for coronavirus a day by the end of May.


Lockdown easing

The government announced it had hit its target of 100,000 tests on Friday, but that number has since fallen back.

The PM said "capacity currently exceeds demand" and the government was taking steps to address that.

The BBC's health editor Hugh Pym said government sources confirmed that the 200,000 per day target refers to lab capacity rather than individual tests.

Mr Johnson said his "ambition" was to hit 200,000 tests "by the end of this month - and then go even higher".

He also confirmed that he would be setting out plans to begin lifting the coronavirus lockdown on Sunday, adding that he hoped to "get going on some of these measures on Monday".

Mr Johnson was making his first appearance in the Commons - and his first PMQs clash with new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer - since the birth of his son and his recovery from coronavirus.


Second spike

The government must review lockdown measures on Thursday by law - but the PM said he was waiting until Sunday to announce the government's plans because more data would be available.

And he warned it would be an "economic disaster" to relax the lockdown in a way which triggered a second spike in coronavirus cases.

In March, the PM said the government was aiming for 250,000 coronavirus tests a day but did not put a timescale on that.

Sir Keir Starmer said only 84,000 tests were done on Monday, meaning 24,000 were not used, from the 100,000 the government said last week were available.

Mr Johnson replied: "Yes, he's right that capacity currently exceeds demand, we're working on that, we're running at about 100,000 a day, but the ambition clearly is to get up to 200,000 a day by the end of this month and then to go even higher."


Death rate

He told MPs that a "fantastic" testing regime will be critical to the UK's long-term economic recovery.

Labour sources said they planned to hold Mr Johnson to account on his latest testing promise.

The government believes a track, test and trace programme to quickly identify new cases of coronavirus and prevent the further spread of the infection is the best route out of lockdown.

Sir Keir said the UK now had the highest death rate from the virus in Europe because it had been too slow into lockdown, testing and the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Mr Johnson said it was too early to make international comparisons.

It came as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that the lockdown in Scotland will continue for at least another three weeks.

Asked by the SNP's Ian Blackford if the contents of his statement on Sunday would be "fully agreed" with the devolved nations, Mr Johnson said: "We'll do our level best to make sure that the outlines of this attract the widest possible consensus."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×