Boris Johnson's pension, in the sights of a British association: “We are subsidizing the lifestyle of a man whose decisions led to the death of our relatives”
Boris Johnson, Photo: © No10 Crown Copyright / Eyevine / Profimedia
An association of families bereaved by the COVID-19 pandemic requested on Friday the revocation of all financial and institutional privileges enjoyed by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after a public inquiry directly criticized the latter for the “chaotic” management of the situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, reports AFP, taken by Agerpres.
In a press release, the “COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK” association directly criticized the former conservative prime minister, considering that his actions during the pandemic represented “one of the worst betrayals of the British people in modern history”.
The former British Prime Minister must be held accountable, states the Friday text, adding that Boris Johnson, who was also London's mayor, should no longer have any role in public life.
The victims' families are calling for the “suppression of all privileges” associated with his former positions, including his prime ministerial allowances and his seat on the venerable Privy Council, a group of advisers to the British monarch made up mainly of former ministers.
“It is intolerable that grieving families should have to subsidize the lifestyle of a man whose decisions led to the death of our relatives,” the petitioners added.
The British government provides a lifetime allowance of up to £115,000 a year (€130,000 a year) for its former prime ministers. They can also claim an allowance for the payment of public utilities and a pension.
In its findings released on Thursday, the UK public inquiry considered that some of the 226,000 deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in this country, one of the worst tolls in Europe, could have been avoided if the British Executive had “taken seriously” the threat posed by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Boris Johnson has apologized to the families of Covid victims during the harshest parliamentary inquiry to date
The investigation clearly highlighted the responsibility of the Government led by Boris Johnson, accused of being too optimistic at the beginning of 2020. And added that the former prime minister's own behavior “undermined the serious message he should have sent to the population”.
The families of the victims also announced that they are considering “all the possibilities offered by the law to hold Boris Johnson personally accountable for his actions during the pandemic”. “Justice for those we lost means real consequences for those who abandoned them, and we will not stop until justice is served,” added the members of the association.
