Former US ambassador says Boris Johnson’s response to coronavirus as bad as Donald Trump’s

Speaking about Johnson’s leadership Samantha Power said the UK’s reaction to Covid-19 was poor, and that it missed a series of opportunities to get it under control.

She told LBC’s Tom Swarbrick: ‘The Covid response, unfortunately, resembles that of president Trump in ways that don’t speak well of his leadership.

‘A disregarding of public health expertise, wishful thinking, a lack of accountability, a refusal to crack down on misinformation.

‘Also, a desire to put the economy over public health that in the end, ends up damaging both the economy and the health of tens of thousands of people.’

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Powers said that we will all have to look back at the response to learn how to prevent repeating the same mistakes again.

But she said Johnson could redeem himself because his experience of the illness makes him experienced enough to help lead the global response to the disease.

She said Trump was retreating from the global stage, while China was still distrusted by some international institutions, and providing an opportunity for the British PM.

She said: ‘My president is not about to perform a role that combines scientific rigour and empathy. We’re all rooting for prime minister Johnson to step into that role.’