Entertainment
Gloria Hunniford slated for defending Boris Johnson over Dominic Cummings accusations: ‘He’s doing a good job’
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Gloria Hunniford has been slated online for her comments defending Boris Johnson on Loose Women today.
Today’s panel – which also consisted of Ruth Langsford, Coleen Nolan and Janet Street-Porter – were discussing Dominic Cummings’ bombshell hearing about the government’s handling of the pandemic.
The government ‘fell disastrously short of the standards the public has a right to expect’ during the pandemic, he said to MPs.
In a series of damning allegations over the government’s handling of the pandemic, Mr Cummings criticised Whitehall for having ‘zero’ plans for shielding and financial support and described the lack of testing data as an ‘absolutely critical disaster’.
He made numerous swipes at senior ministers, alleging that Johnson was willing to be injected with Covid by the chief medical officer on live TV to show the public it was ‘just the new swine flu’.
Despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring a global emergency on January 30, he said many ministers went on skiing holidays.
‘The government itself and Number 10 was not operating on a war footing in February on this in any way shape or form,’ he said.
Gloria was not having it, as she was quick to leap to the prime minster’s defense during the afternoon programme.
‘I think this is a loaded retaliation,’ she said of the comments made by Cummings.
‘I personally think this is the wrong time to be doing this in Westminster anyway. We’re not out of the pandemic yet, I don’t want to be hearing about Boris Johnson and his fiancé and going back that far,’ she said.
Gloria said she could pick apart Johnson if she wanted to, but she thinks it’s ‘negative’ to go back to remembering the beginning of the pandemic.
‘Everybody was in chaos, nobody had had a virus like this,’ the presenter explained.
‘I could nit-pick Boris if I wanted to in terms of border control, not closing down, people coming from India, but overall considering the world was in chaos and we had the world’s most marvellous scientists coming up with vaccines before everybody else, we have wonderful records.
‘[Boris has] done a lot right and I think it’s just a negative time. I wouldn’t want to sit and watch that because I think it’s a loaded retaliation.’
Janet was quick to respond, and fired back: ‘Of course we have to have this Gloria because we have one of the worst death rates in the world.’
Viewers of the show weren’t impressed with Gloria’s comments either and were quick to take to Twitter to share their opinions.
‘Her downplaying of Johnson’s criminal actions and even praising him is frightening,’ one person wrote.
‘Gloria Hunniford what planet are you living on?’ another asked.
Someone else added: ‘There is something so about Gloria Hunniford’s comments I find insincere and lacking in empathy of others.’
Downing Street declined to comment directly on the claims made by Cummings.
A No 10 spokesperson said: ‘Throughout this pandemic, the Government’s priority has been to save lives, protect the NHS and support people’s jobs and livelihoods across the United Kingdom.
‘There is a huge task for this Government to get on with. We are entirely focused on recovering from the pandemic, moving through the roadmap and distributing vaccines while delivering on the public’s priorities.’
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV.
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