London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

No 10 refuses to apologise for PM's 'crass' care home remark

No 10 has rejected calls for Boris Johnson to apologise after he said "too many care homes didn't really follow procedures" over coronavirus.

Labour called the PM's comments "crass" and said government advice to care homes had been "conflicting".

And one union accused the PM of blaming care workers for government "failings".

But Downing Street said Mr Johnson had been pointing out that not enough was known about the virus in the early stages of the outbreak.

The PM's official spokesman added that the care homes had "done a brilliant job under very difficult circumstances" and the government had "put in place rigorous testing and additional funding".

Care homes were hit particularly badly by the coronavirus with nearly 20,000 people confirmed to have died of coronavirus in care homes in England and Wales since the outbreak.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said people were "insulted" by Mr Johnson's "crass remarks".


'Constantly learning'

"Care providers were sent conflicting guidance throughout this outbreak, staff could not access testing until mid-April and are still not tested routinely, PPE supplies have been inadequate, thousands of families have lost their loved ones in care homes to this disease, care workers themselves have died on the front line," he told MPs.

He called on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to apologise for the PM's remarks.

Mr Hancock said the prime minister had been "explaining that because asymptomatic transmission was not known about, the correct procedures were therefore not known".

He added: "We've been constantly learning about this virus from the start and improving procedures all the way through and I pay tribute to the care homes in this country who have done so much to care for the most vulnerable throughout the crisis."

Speaking in the House of Lords another government minister, Lord Greenhalgh, admitted that guidance given to care homes during the initial stages of the pandemic was "not as clear as it could have been".


'Lasting reform'

Mark Adams, who runs the charity Community Integrated Care, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the prime minister's comments were "cowardly" and a "travesty of leadership".

And Unison, a trade union which represents workers providing public services, said: "It's despicable for Boris Johnson to blame incredible, dedicated care workers for his own government's failings.

"Care staff have kept working throughout to help the vulnerable, putting their own health at risk with little or no protective kit and without testing.

"The prime minister should be ashamed, take responsibility and commit to proper, lasting reform of social care."

On Sunday, NHS England boss Sir Simon Stevens told the BBC that plans to adequately fund the social care sector needed to be in place within a year.

Asked on Monday about his remarks, Mr Johnson said: "One of the things the crisis has shown is we need to think about how we organise our social care package better and how we make sure we look after people better who are in social care.

"We discovered too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures in the way that they could have but we're learning lessons the whole time."

During the 2019 election, the Conservatives promised an extra £1bn per year for social care in England over the next five years.

The government has given an extra £3.2bn in emergency Covid-19 funds to English councils, which can be put towards helping with social care costs.

It has also promised an additional £600m for care homes to help with controlling infections.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
×