Minister denies Johnson said ‘thousands’ more Covid deaths better than lockdown
April 26, 2021, 10:24 am

Minister denies Johnson said ‘thousands’ more Covid deaths better than lockdown

A woman looks at the memorial wall of more than 150,000 hearts, each representing a coronavirus death, in evening sunlight in London in April.

Ben Wallace says reports Boris Johnson made the comments at No 10 meeting in October are ‘gossip’

A senior minister has said a report that Boris Johnson said he would rather see bodies piled “high in their thousands” than order a third lockdown is untrue.

The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, also dismissed claims that the government was “sleazy” amid mounting allegations that the prime minister accepted undeclared donations from Conservative donors.

Wallace’s denials came after the Daily Mail reported an unnamed source as claiming Johnson said at a Downing Street meeting in October: “No more fucking lockdowns – let the bodies pile high in their thousands.”

The incendiary claim follows a briefing war this weekend between Johnson and his former key adviser Dominic Cummings, who resigned from his No 10 job after what was believed to be a power struggle with Johnson’s partner, Carrie Symonds.

“Look, it is not true. It has been categorically denied by practically everyone,” Wallace told Sky when asked about the reported remark.

Wallace said the claims were “gossip”. “We are getting into the sort of comedy chapter now of these gossip stories – unnamed sources, by unnamed advisers talking about unnamed events.

“None of this is serious. The prime minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside cabinet colleagues, the response to Covid.”

He added: “All the ‘who said, what said’, I’ll leave that to the Oscars gossip columns that are now being rolled out today after last night.”

Johnson is facing a stream of allegations about his muddled initial handling of the Covid-19 crisis, questions over who financed the redecoration of his Downing Street flat, and claims that multibillion pound contracts have been handed to party donors.

Downing Street named Cummings on Thursday as a source of a number of damaging leaks about the prime minister. Cummings hit back on Friday, denying he was the source and casting Johnson as incompetent and lacking in integrity.

Cummings said Johnson’s plans to have donors secretly pay for the renovation of his Downing Street plan were “unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules on proper disclosure of political donations”.

On the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, the defence secretary said Johnson paid for the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat “out of his own pocket” and that all the rules were followed.

“As the prime minister has been clear, the prime minister paid personally for the flat. The prime minister has complied at all stages with the rules and we’ve been very clear on that.

“We have engaged with the Electoral Commission and we will continue to engage with that,” he said.

Wallace said he did not “recognise” suggestions that Johnson had asked Tory donors for financial help to pay for the upgrades, saying they were “based on a large amount of speculation”.

He added: “The prime minister, as I’ve said, paid for it out of his money. The action he did was he paid the money for the flat out of his own pocket.”

Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, is expected to be questioned on Monday about Cummings’ claim that the prime minister tried to quash a formal leak inquiry – the so-called search for a “chatty rat” – because it implicated a friend of Symonds.

Case will appear on Monday afternoon before the public administration and constitutional affairs committee.

Lord Barwell, who served as Downing Street chief of staff under Theresa May, said the briefing war between No 10 and Cummings “has the potential to be extremely destabilising”.

The former Tory minister told Times Radio: “I think there will be huge frustration among Conservative MPs, councillors and candidates with the elections approaching in early May that this appears to be an entirely self-inflicted wound, that this story that we’re all talking about was prompted by either someone in No 10 –or the prime minister himself allegedly – accusing Dominic Cummings of being behind all the recent leaks.

“There are some significant unanswered questions still and we’ve seen further revelations over the weekend and in this morning’s papers – clearly, potentially there is more information that might get released.”

Barwell said the inquiry into the so-called “chatty rat” leak regarding last year’s November lockdown had taken “a long time”.

“My own experience working for Theresa when we had a very serious leak from the national security council and she asked the cabinet secretary to conduct a very aggressive inquiry to find who was responsible is that actually it only took a matter of days to go through everybody’s phones and email communication, so this has been going for four or five months now and I think MPs will want to know why it has taken so long and where it has got to.”

source: Rajeev Syal

Levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.