The Conversation (0)
Greg Evans
Jul 18, 2021
Boris Johnson is facing a wave of criticism on Sunday after it was revealed that the prime minister was ‘pinged’ and told to self-isolate after meeting with Sajid Javid who tested positive for Covid on Saturday.
However, the PM has since swerved this and will now self-isolate.
Both he and chancellor Rishi Sunak were contacted by the NHS Test and Trace app but rather than being forced to self isolate for up to 10 days they instead planned to take part in a ‘daily contact testing pilot’ scheme which has only been made available to a select number of people.
The programme will see participants take daily tests and if they test positive they will be forced to self-isolate. Those involved in the scheme must however self-isolate when they are not at work.
The Mirror has reported that there are plans to introduce this to the wider public but that is still months away. Downing Street is just one of 20 organisations currently involved in the scheme with others said to include TFL, Heathrow Airport and National Rail.
More than 500,000 people are said to have received ‘pings’ from the app telling them to self-isolate and it’s perhaps unsurprising that the initial reaction to Johnson and Sunak not having to do the same as everyone else was one of criticism with #oneruleforthem trending on Twitter with many MP’s also laying into the PM.
530,126 people were told by NHS Test and Trace that they had to isolate last week. Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak w… https://t.co/5nNaGsFfCk— David Lammy (@David Lammy) 1626594293
Boris Johnson’s pretence at observing his own government’s Covid rules is currently self-isolating— Toby Earle (@Toby Earle) 1626594268
In this week’s episode of One Rule For Us, One Rule For Them: https://t.co/1PLiNrdAqW— David Schneider (@David Schneider) 1626594777
So far, members of this govt can: 1. Go to work instead of self-isolate 2. Ravish employees at work instead of so… https://t.co/wcjHCVabTN— Rachel Clarke (@Rachel Clarke) 1626594251
Ah. Well. There you go. #oneruleforthem. Again. https://t.co/BFAMWnA23c— Suzanne Evans 💜 (@Suzanne Evans 💜) 1626592512
If @BorisJohnson wants 1.6m people to self isolate, he should do the same. #oneruleforthem https://t.co/uoRL5tnGsx— Harriet Digby (@Harriet Digby) 1626592880
They take us all for fools. #oneruleforthem 🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡 https://t.co/Fj5ukxMD0D— Siobhan Benita (@Siobhan Benita) 1626593504
You Could Not Make This Up I know desperate families who have begged schools to take well but isolating… https://t.co/xhpvsdwsBm— Dr Ellie 💊🩺💉 (@Dr Ellie 💊🩺💉) 1626594936
I mean wow. To have the gall. Beggars belief. While our families, friends and colleagues are all obeying the rules… https://t.co/GRllDhAgWD— Tilly McAuliffe (@Tilly McAuliffe) 1626594984
Seriously hypocritical #OneRuleForThem https://t.co/jWVYVMHs6k— Maria Eagle MP 😷💙 (@Maria Eagle MP 😷💙) 1626594540
This is an old story folks … @BorisJohnson and @RishiSunak being randomly selected by the pilot trial …. It happene… https://t.co/LhqEIx7QxS— ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@ALASTAIR CAMPBELL) 1626595177
A VIP lane for PPE contracts, a VIP lane for testing contracts and now a VIP lane for getting pinged but not having… https://t.co/jj92ZBf749— Angela Rayner (@Angela Rayner) 1626595132
How about the school teachers, transport workers and health workers getting a chance to be part of this test pilot… https://t.co/NsJfTmpCln— Ed Davey MP 🔶 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Ed Davey MP 🔶 🇬🇧 🇪🇺) 1626595555
As I said last week to the Prime Minister, it can’t be one rule for him and his elite chums, and another for the re… https://t.co/4PF1uZi3nC— Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP (@Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP) 1626593988
I hope somebody in Downing St has some private polling to show the public likes the idea of “one rule us, one rule… https://t.co/ylRikj8FrN— George Parker (@George Parker) 1626594691
https://t.co/G8IaIXMza6— Olly Richards (@Olly Richards) 1626600454
I can now reveal I was part of a drug testing pilot scheme for much of the 1990s— Tim Burgess (@Tim Burgess) 1626598102
I’m in a really bad place at the moment. Not mentally, I just live in the UK.— Tom Knight (@Tom Knight) 1626599935
And another thing... https://t.co/hHafGTJmzW— Emily Thornberry (@Emily Thornberry) 1626606217
However, in another major u-turn for the government, it has been announced that Johnson and Sunak will now go into self-isolation and will not be taking part in the pilot scheme.
Whilst the test and trace pilot is fairly restrictive, allowing only essential government business, I recognise tha… https://t.co/NDOCNxG507— Rishi Sunak (@Rishi Sunak) 1626601005
Cue even more reactions.
Wow. @BorisJohnson and @RishiSunak have now chosen to isolate and not participate in the exemption pilot. They… https://t.co/Ze3fGA9mg9— Robert Peston (@Robert Peston) 1626601398
Is that a "U-turn" or a "climbdown"? Never sure— Adam Hurrey (@Adam Hurrey) 1626601602
we might not be able to achieve much else, but we can at least bully them out of their holidays https://t.co/GLjXZpELAz— Grace Robertson 🏳️⚧️ (@Grace Robertson 🏳️⚧️) 1626601389
One of the fastest u-turns. No 10 says PM “was at Chequers when contacted by Test and Trace and will remain there… https://t.co/SeDzHBv0ag— Nick Eardley (@Nick Eardley) 1626601434
The mess of the UK government is largely explained by them holding the public in utter contempt. They think the p… https://t.co/bvDmM5gaHv— Colin Millar (@Colin Millar) 1626601798
As someone who has had to isolate for the week and cancelled 5 gigs to do so, let me say I am delighted they have a… https://t.co/l3FJQDopEb— Nish Kumar (@Nish Kumar) 1626602392
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak having to self-isolate for "freedom day" is literally too perfect an analogy for the… https://t.co/8Y5xNp4LWw— James McManus (@James McManus) 1626602332
‘I won’t be swimming myself, I’m part of a pilot scheme to stay uneaten’ https://t.co/3ao7Tb4w9K— Dave Lee (@Dave Lee) 1626598253
The UK Government is like the greatest ‘The Thick of It’ episode of all time. https://t.co/S31PzNXxA6— Rob Dowling (@Rob Dowling) 1626603001
I once avoided having to self isolate because my work was taking part in a secretive trial that no-one else had hea… https://t.co/Q8AH4oZBkv— George Osborn (@George Osborn) 1626599812
Of all people, Piers Morgan put it best.
Nothing will more perfectly illustrate the disingenuous data-ignoring nonsense of 'Freedom Day' tomorrow than Boris… https://t.co/nnzWDn78eo— Piers Morgan (@Piers Morgan) 1626602496
This news comes just a day before the government are due to lift Covid restrictions across England for so-called ‘freedom day’ a move that is also being heavily criticised as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the nation thanks to the Delta variant.
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