The men and women who keep the country going: Inside the prime minister’s ‘haunted and exhausted’ inner circle that is battling Britain’s coronavirus epidemic
- Boris Johnson is ‘haunted’ and knows his legacy will be defined by pandemic
- No 10 secretly fears coronavirus cannot be halted and fear wave during winter
- Team believe ‘all measures necessary’ must be taken to be seen to be acting
- Insiders allege banning mass gatherings is a marginal move but good PR
- PM and closest aides fear bigger number of British fatalities than overseas
- Suspect UK health systems are in meltdown, calling it ‘Hollywood movie horror’
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Boris Johnson is ‘haunted’ by the emerging coronavirus pandemic and realises his ‘premiership will be defined by the decisions he takes now’, insiders allege.
The Prime Minister’s inner circle is led by Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser, and Prof Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer.
Called the ‘three amigos’ by insiders, they are supported by Dominic Cummings, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and No 10 Director of Communications Lee Cain.
Mr Johnson’s dedicated Covid-19 task force also contains David Halpern – head of the Government’s ‘nudge unit’, which advises on public behaviour – who was ‘bollocked’ last week for loose talk on the controversial ‘herd immunity’ strategy.
Katharine Hammond, the Director of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, reportedly leads a nationwide network of local resilience forums.
Also involved in the plan to delay the spread of the deadly contagion is Cobra military representative Lieutenant-General Doug Chalmers.
Chalmers is said to be coordinating plans for the Armed Forces to support public services, like guarding supermarkets and hospitals, during the pandemic.
The final member of the Prime Minister’s inner circle is Prof Yvonne Doyle, who – as Director of Health Protection at Public Health England – is described as the ‘main link’ between No 10 and the NHS, according to The Sunday Times.
Boris Johnson is said to be ‘haunted’ by the coronavirus pandemic, which is sweeping the UK
The UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser (left) and England’s Chief Medical Officer (right) are taking lead roles in the ongoing pandemic, as the UK sinks into coronavirus hysteria
Health Secretary Matt Hancock on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, March 15
Mr Johnson’s team has been assembled to manage the escalating pandemic, which so far has claimed 35 lives and infected nearly 1,400 people.
In public, they are putting on a brave face as they appeal to British society to pull together in a ‘national effort’ amid scenes of panic-buying.
Behind the Black Door, away from prying eyes, though, the Prime Minister and his advisers believe Covid-19 is essentially unstoppable.
In private, Mr Johnson has emphasised to his inner circle the need to be seen to be taking action, following last week’s charges of ‘complacency’.
They ‘fear’ a second wave of infections this winter leading to more fatalities, so are keen to be taking action as public opinion demands more of the State.
According to one Government source, this includes banning mass gatherings – secretly regarded by decision-makers as a ‘marginal’ move: ‘Stopping mass gatherings may not do much good but it has very little downside’.
One source told the newspaper: ‘Some people seem to be under the misapprehension that we can stop it. That ship has sailed globally. What we need to do is mitigate and safeguard as many people as possible.’
Mr Johnson’s team believes ‘all measures necessary’ should be taken to halting the spread of the bug – fearing an Italy-style fallout.
An unnamed Tory MP described the Prime Minister as a ‘Darwinian’ who fears the potential backlash at home if Covid-19 claims more UK lives than lives abroad, while another remarked: ‘The problem is that it is Tory voters who will be dying’.
Meanwhile, sources close to Mr Johnson say the Executive is panicking that parts of the UK’s healthcare system are already in ‘meltdown’.
Local resilience forums are reportedly begging for directives from central Government, with one Whitehall source remarking: ‘This is now a full-on Hollywood movie horror show. The local resilience forums are screaming for help.’