London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

The Stupidity of the day: ‘PM completely deserves this’: Labour mayor censured for suggesting BoJo MERITED his Covid-19 illness

The Stupidity of the day: ‘PM completely deserves this’: Labour mayor censured for suggesting BoJo MERITED his Covid-19 illness

A Labour Party UK mayor made national headlines after she said that Boris Johnson contracting coronavirus served him right for his sloppy handling of the outbreak. The PM remains hospitalized in intensive care with Covid-19.
Sheila Oakes, mayor of Heanor in Derbyshire and a district councilor, took to Facebook overnight to express her displeasure with Johnson’s approach to the coronavirus crisis. The prime minister was hospitalized with coronavirus on Sunday and moved into intensive care the next day, as his condition worsened.

Oakes replied to a post that urged users to give a “little prayer” for the PM, arguing that he actually got his just desserts.

“Sorry, he completely deserves this and he is one of the worst PMs we’ve ever had,” she wrote.

Facing a wave of criticism from other users for the insensitive remark — some of whom urged her to resign immediately — Oakes stood by her statement, claiming that “Johnson has done absolutely nothing for the UK”.

Britain’s health workers have to battle the virus without protective equipment, while the whole National Health Service (NHS) is “massively underfunded,” she added.

Apart from igniting an online storm, Oakes’ comments also made extra work for the local Labour office, as it was bombarded with complaints over her remarks. Leader of Amber Valley Labour District Council Chris Emmas-Williams promised an investigation would be launched into her behavior and said Oakes has lost the party whip, so is now no longer a Labour councilor. He also apologized to the PM and everyone suffering from the “awful disease.”

Facing mounting pressure, the mayor apologized as well, telling local media that she actually hoped that the PM “makes a recovery and does not suffer any long-term ill effects.”

The UK has nearly 56,000 confirmed coronavirus cases to date, including over 6,100 deaths, according to latest figures compiled by the John Hopkins University. While the figures are significantly lower than in the worst-affected countries, such as the US, Spain or Italy, the peak of the epidemic for the UK still lies ahead and it’s at risk of becoming the worst-affected European nation, researchers have warned.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×