Boris Johnson’s Lie of the Day: he never cut the number of lorries queuing in Kent
Why does he do it?
In his latest car-crash (please don’t groan) TV press conference, Boris Johnson told us that he had taken action to reduce the number of lorries queuing in Kent to be transported to continental Europe, as both the UK and the EU prepare for new trading conditions from January.
Oh, really?
What are all these, then?
This would make a brilliant establishing shot for a disaster movie. They could call it ‘Boris Johnson, Prime Minister’. pic.twitter.com/zVO6Rul2S4
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) December 22, 2020
Those of you who saw the broadcast might be saying, “Ah, but! Johnson was referring to lorries on the M20 – and that’s some airport runway, from the look of it!”
Yes indeed. These appear to be the overspill from the M20 – lorries that have been diverted to park elsewhere.
But it doesn’t mean that Johnson wasn’t misleading us. Oh, and let’s make it clear – it’s Boris Johnson who made the misleading statement (this for the benefit of the BBC):
Boris Johnson (again) misled the country saying plans put in place by his Gov’t had reduced lorries waiting on M20 from 500 to only 170
It was completely false
Today journalists seem to be suggesting it was only transport Secretary who said it!
Let’s put the record straight pic.twitter.com/tC5MILdAup
— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) December 22, 2020
For clarity:
Highways England has confirmed that 900 lorries were on the M20 in Kent on Monday evening – not the 174 that Boris Johnson had claimedhttps://t.co/SHnWbnbTO7
— LBC (@LBC) December 21, 2020
The tailback was precipitated by Johnson’s (him again!) announcement on Saturday (December 19) that he was cancelling a planned relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions for Christmas because of the unexpected virulence of a new mutation of the virus – a situation of which, it transpires, he has only been aware for four months (since late September).
The international response from around 40 countries now has been to close their borders to any and all traffic to and from the UK – hence the queue in Kent.
The advantage of being an island is that if you control your borders early you can keep the virus out. On the other hand, if you fail to control the pandemic, everyone else can close their borders to keep you out.
— Dr Phil Hammond 💙 (@drphilhammond) December 21, 2020
Why did Johnson lie?
Well, that’s a very good question:
Today in his briefing @BorisJohnson said that there had been 500 lorries queuing in Kent but because of their preparations it is now 170. Since then Kent County Council have confirmed the number is in fact in excess of 500, not 170. There was no need to lie. It’s pathological.
— Professor Ian Donald (@iandonald_psych) December 21, 2020
One aspect of this situation that isn’t being discussed by Johnson is the fact that he is creating a huge health risk by failing to provide emergency food and sanitation facilities for more than a thousand stranded lorry drivers:
https://twitter.com/David__Osland/status/1341320251070406657
Stranded drivers say a lack of facilities is creating a dire situation as the new Covid strain leaves them unable to enter France. https://t.co/Txi254jDu5
— HuffPost UK Politics (@HuffPostUKPol) December 22, 2020
Isn’t Johnson begging for a new outbreak of Covid-19 – right there among the drivers – by failing to provide basic facilities for cleanliness?
He is responsible for this; it was his decision that created the situation.
I wonder how he will talk his way out of it.
With a lie, I expect…
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I was apalled by the blatant lie (backed up by Grant Shapps) as well as their sniggering and followed the issue through the media/internet.
Later that evening the Highwats Agency said it was 900 on the M20 and the following morning the BBC highlighted the 900/170 disparity on their news “ticker tape” only to quietly drop it later.
And it is still claimed that we live in a Democracy, not an Amateurist Fascist dictatorship !