John Plunkett. Updated November 1st, 2023
We already knew the government’s response to Covid was astonishingly wrong-headed but with the pandemic public inquiry now in full swing, we get to see just how ineptly our so-called leaders dealt with it.
And today the reputation of Boris Johnson and his government hit a new low – hard to believe we know – with the revelation that the former PM once asked if you could cure by blowing a hairdryer up your nose.
NEW: Boris Johnson asked scientists if you could “kill covid” by blowing a hairdryer up your nose after watching a YouTube clip claiming you can
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) November 1, 2023
Here’s what his former right hand man Dominic Cummings told the inquiry.
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Dominic Cummings’ witness statement: “A low point was when he circulated a video of a guy blowing a special hair dryer up his nose ‘to kill Covid’ and asked the Chief Scientific Adviser and Chief Medical Officer what they thought”
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) November 1, 2023
No wonder they called him ‘Britain Trump’ (who memorably had his own, er, unconventional ideas about how to defeat Covid).
Just in case you wondered where he might have got it the idea from, perhaps it was this, as highlighted by the great @Otto_English.
I think this must have been the video Johnson watched in which Florida Commissioner Bryant Culpepper WRONGLY stated that steam or a hairdryer up your nose could fix covid. Check out the guy on the left pic.twitter.com/E9RwbfdkbC
— Otto English (@Otto_English) November 1, 2023
And the revelation prompted no end of responses, as you might imagine. These blew hottest.
1.
And we laughed at the stupidity of Trump talking about people getting sunlight into their lungs.
Because we’d never elect a leader THAT stupid, right? https://t.co/R2z96ALP9k
— Jason Pedlow (@JasonPedlow) November 1, 2023
2.
“You boy, I’ve got Covid – go and buy me a hairdryer” pic.twitter.com/wY7Gd1Kh9w
— Rob B (@RobBfromDerby) November 1, 2023
3.
The whole point about private schools is so that people who aren’t very clever can be elevated far beyond their ability
Exhibit A: https://t.co/ErKV3ebRDz
— ️ märcûs (@marcusxdusty) November 1, 2023
4.
Listen it would be irresponsible of him not to ask. What if the country’s top scientists just hadn’t thought of it? https://t.co/2XPdpjVCZO
— Michael Fry (@BigDirtyFry) November 1, 2023
5.
Hot air. Boris Johnson’s solution for everything. https://t.co/DWlsOo9I5I
— IAN HYLAND (@HylandIan) November 1, 2023
6.
“You still have Phone a Friend.” pic.twitter.com/meyL3OHTJ8
— Captain Howdy (@MajorPazuzu) November 1, 2023
7.
to be fair to boris he is an expert when it comes to misusing a hairdryer https://t.co/INGzF7LK95
— milo edwards (@Milo_Edwards) November 1, 2023
8.
“Once, whilst working for the Government, I suggested to the PM that he should ask top scientists to investigate if blowing a hairdryer up the nose would cure COVID” pic.twitter.com/lMiZBXTgPY
— Rob B (@RobBfromDerby) November 1, 2023
9.
Remember all those people yelling “YOU CAN’T CRITICISE BORIS HE’S DOING HIS BEST” while inside they were patiently explaining “you can’t kill the virus by aiming a blow dryer up your nose, Mr Johnson” and “it’ll poll badly if you kill the queen” pic.twitter.com/JKLfvvGLkw
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) November 1, 2023
