The government’s downplaying of the British prime minister’s COVID-19 symptoms follows a long-established pattern. Read this report from CodaStory. coronavirus
NO SPIN. Illustration by Sofiya Voznaya for Coda Story.
Boris Johnson didn’t believe in illness – he scoffed at those who took time off work, saying that being sick was for the weak. At his first COVID-19 press briefing before he contracted the virus, he declared he would not stop shaking hands with people. When he did succumb, a week later, he announced it in a typically upbeat March 27 Twitter video.
At that time, Fleet Street was largely run by newspaper proprietors who were personal friends of Churchill. They got together with Downing Street and published a No. 10 statement that the PM was “taking a complete rest.” According to Moran, “It was a medical communique that didn’t include any medical facts.” With Churchill out of action, his son in law, Christopher Soames, signed official documents with his own version of the PM’s signature. The public was none the wiser.
Tony Blair was just 43 years old when he came to power in 1997. This made him the youngest PM since Lord Liverpool, nearly two centuries earlier. Projecting an image of health and youthful energy, he was the first prime minister to have a rowing machine installed at No. 10. “I do the gym three times a week,” said Blair. “It helps me deal with the stress of the job.”
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