Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Johnson blames care homes for high death rate, gets accused of weaving 'alternative reality'

BORIS JOHNSON has stirred up a growing storm after saying "too many care homes" didn't follow procedures to stem the spread of Covid-19 deaths.

The comments have sparked off an accusation that the prime minister was trying to rewrite history -- weaving a "Kafkaesque alternative reality".


Britain has one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19, at more than 44,000, with around 20,000 dying in care homes, according to government statistics.

While the government has been heavily criticised by opposition politicians and some medics over the slow delivery of protective clothing and testing in care homes, Johnson appeared to suggest blame for the outbreaks lay with the care homes themselves.

"We discovered too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures in the way that they could have, but we're learning lessons," Johnson said on Monday.

Mark Adams, chief executive of the charity Community Integrated Care, said he was "unbelievably disappointed" by Johnson's comments, slamming them as "clumsy and cowardly", adding they represented a dystopian rewriting of history.

"To get a throwaway comment almost glibly blaming the social care system, and not holding your hands up for starting too late, doing the wrong things, making mistake after mistake, it is just frankly unacceptable," he told BBC radio.

"If this is genuinely his view, I think we're almost entering a Kafkaesque alternative reality."

Vic Rayner, executive director of National Care Forum, said care homes followed official guidance "to the letter" even as the government's attention was focused on hospitals.

"There will be a lot of people within the care sector who feel that their efforts have gone unrecognised and who I think will feel rightly aggrieved that all the hard work and enormous effort they've put in hasn't been acknowledged," she told BBC.

National Care Association chair Nadra Ahmed told the Guardian that the prime minister's comments were "a huge slap in the face for a sector that looks after a million vulnerable people, employs 1.6 million care workers and puts £45 billion into the economy every year".

She added: “Despite the fact PPE was diverted, despite the fact we didn’t have testing in our services, despite the fact they’ve not put any money into our sector, it has worked its socks off, and it’s a huge disappointment to hear the leader of our country say what he’d said."

Earlier, several media reports had suggested that the government's focus on preventing emergency wards from being overwhelmed left care home residents and staff exposed to Covid-19.

Shadow care minister Liz Kendall said the prime minister's "attempt to shift responsibility is a new low", while accusing the government of "abandoning" care workers.

Responding to the furore, a spokesman for Johnson said: "Throughout this crisis care homes have done a brilliant job under very difficult circumstances.

"The PM was pointing out that nobody knew what the correct procedures were because the extent of asymptomatic transmission was not known at the time."

More For You

Human brain continues forming neurons

Neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons form in the brain

iStock

Human brain continues forming neurons well into old age, study finds

Key points

  • New neurons continue forming in the brain’s hippocampus into old age
  • Study confirms presence of neural progenitor cells in adults
  • DNA carbon dating and single-nucleus RNA sequencing were used
  • Research shows variation in neuron production between individuals
  • Findings could aid treatments for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders

Human brain shows ongoing neuron formation into older age

A new study has confirmed that the human brain continues to produce new nerve cells well into late adulthood, challenging previous assumptions about age-related decline in neurogenesis. The findings, published in the journal Science, provide fresh insight into how adaptable the brain remains over a lifetime.

Neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons form in the brain, is known to occur in the hippocampus — a region involved in memory. While previous research has suggested that this process continues throughout life, there has been limited concrete evidence of the presence of neural progenitor cells in the adult brain.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kent County Show 2025

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who grew up in Brenchley

Getty Images

Kent County Show opens with royal visit from Duchess of Edinburgh

Key points:

  • Day one of the Kent County Show begins at Detling Showground near Maidstone
  • The Duchess of Edinburgh visits the event for the first time in 16 years
  • Organisers expect up to 70,000 visitors over the weekend
  • Farming and rural life are at the centre of the three-day programme
  • Highlights include live camel racing, equine sports, livestock displays and more

Kent County Show opens with royal visit

The Kent County Show returned to Detling near Maidstone on Friday, marking the start of a major three-day celebration of farming, food, and rural living. The event opened with a special visit from the Duchess of Edinburgh, who is attending for the first time in 16 years.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who grew up in Brenchley near Tunbridge Wells and serves as patron of the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO), met with farmers, equine exhibitors, and local businesses on her tour of the showground.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Aurobindo

Heehs’s biography is grounded in extensive archival research across France, England, India and Israel

AMG

Sri Aurobindo and the rise of the Asian century

Dinesh Sharma

My friend and colleague, the American historian Peter Heehs, who has lived in Pondicherry, India, for decades, recently published a compelling new biography, The Mother: A Life of Sri Aurobindo’s Collaborator (2025). Heehs previously authored The Lives of Sri Aurobindo (2008), which remains one of the most balanced and scholarly accounts of Aurobindo’s life.

According to Heehs, most previous biographies of the Mother were written for devotees and relied on secondary sources, often presenting her as a divine incarnation without critical engagement. “Such biographies are fine for those who see the Mother as a divine being,” Heehs said, “but they can be off-putting for readers who simply want to understand her life – as an artist, writer, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Ashram and Auroville.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Black women cancer risk

Serious public health challenges in the decades ahead

iStock

Study warns of rising uterine cancer rates, with Black women hardest hit

Key points

  • Uterine cancer cases and deaths are projected to rise significantly in the US by 2050.
  • Black women are expected to experience the highest increase in incidence-based mortality.
  • A new model predicts incidence rising to 86.9 cases per 100,000 for Black women and 74.2 for White women.
  • Researchers stress the urgent need for improved prevention and early detection strategies.

Sharp increase in uterine cancer predicted over next three decades

Uterine cancer, currently the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States, is projected to see a substantial rise in both cases and deaths by 2050, particularly among Black women. A new study led by researchers at Columbia University warns of worsening racial disparities in outcomes if preventative measures are not introduced.

This year alone, around 69,120 new cases of uterine cancer and nearly 14,000 deaths are expected in the United States. However, projections by the Columbia University research team, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, indicate a significant increase in both incidence and mortality over the next 30 years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tesco Scotch Egg recall

Tesco has issued an urgent product recall for two batches of Wall’s Scotch Eggs

Tesco

Tesco recalls Wall’s Scotch Eggs over salmonella contamination

Key points

  • Tesco and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have issued an urgent recall for Wall’s Scotch Eggs.
  • Salmonella contamination has been confirmed in two batches with a use-by date of July 2, 2025.
  • Customers are advised not to eat the affected items and return them to any Tesco store for a full refund.
  • No other Wall’s products are affected by this recall.

Wall’s Scotch Eggs recalled due to salmonella risk

Tesco has issued an urgent product recall for two batches of Wall’s Scotch Eggs after salmonella contamination was confirmed. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) supported the decision and has advised customers to check their kitchens and dispose of or return the products immediately.

The recall applies specifically to Wall’s 2 Classic Scotch Eggs 226g and Wall’s The Classic Scotch Egg 113g, both with a use-by date of 2 July 2025. Customers who purchased either product are urged not to consume them due to the potential health risk.

Keep ReadingShow less