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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Geraldine McKelvie and Henry Dyer

Boris Johnson took four days off as NHS warned Covid could ‘overwhelm’ system

Boris Johnson frowning
The details of Johnson’s activities are revealed in an official government document contained in the Boris Files, a cache of leaked documents. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Boris Johnson took four days off from official government business during a key period in the UK’s Covid preparation when the NHS was bracing to be “overwhelmed” by the virus.

Official disclosure for the period in February 2020 – described by the Covid inquiry as a “lost month” in the country’s crisis response – reveal Johnson enjoyed an extended break during the half-term holidays at Chevening, a governmental estate in Kent, where he spent time walking his dog and taking motorcycle rides.

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