‘National disgrace’ PM must go, says Covid Bereaved Families spokesperson

The spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families For Justice, who lost his father to the virus last year, has branded Boris Johnson a “national disgrace” and demanded his resignation after the prime minister was fined for breaking lockdown rules.

The Metropolitan Police announced today that at least 30 more fixed penalty notices will be issued by the ACRO Criminal Records Office, in addition to 20 referrals made at the end of March. Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are among those fined for breaking lockdown laws between 2020 and 2021.

Covid-19 Bereaved Families For Justice’s David Garfinkel lost his 76-year-old father Ivor to the virus and has spoken and written extensively in the media about the painful sacrifices his family have made.

The 49-year-old from Edgware told Jewish News: “Boris Johnson and his partying pals have to go. For months he and the rest of the Tory party have defended the indefensible. Those in power and those complicit in party gate have prevaricated and lied. To the nation. To the commons. To each other. And to us. And while all this has been been going on the majority of the Tory party stayed silent – either hoping it would go away or they could choose the moment to make political capital. They are all a disgrace.

“Never in modern memory has there been a government of such incompetence – from its handling of covid to the cost of living crises. This fine and law breaking only proves what covid bereaved families have been saying for a long time. That this man is not fit to lead and is a walking public health disaster.”

Recalling his painful bereavement, the father-of-two added: “It took us a week to get my dad admitted to hospital despite being a shielder with a known underlying autoimmune condition – 18 months after the pandemic started and when A&Es were not even busy. We followed all the rules. But I couldn’t be with him throughout all of this. My dad died alone.

“This prime minister is a national disgrace. He has broken the law. A law he created. He lied to the House of Commons. He lied to all of us. And it’s time he does the honourable thing and resigns.”