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Kuenssberg appears to defend Johnson with widely discredited vaccine claim

Laura Kuenssberg appeared to come to Boris Johnson’s aid after the former premier suffered a bruising week at the Covid inquiry.

Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain were among the former officials to give evidence to the inquiry this week, and even if half of what they said was true, it doesn’t bode well for Mr Johnson.

At a notable “low point”, it was alleged that the ex-PM asked top scientists Sir Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance if Covid could be destroyed by blowing a “special hair dryer” up noses, which is almost Trumpian in its mindblowing absurdity.

Cummings also said Johnson asked him to find a “dead cat” to get the coronavirus pandemic off the front pages of newspapers because he was “sick” of it.

Discussing the matter on Newscast, Kuenssberg appeared to defend Johnson by linking the speed of the vaccine rollout to the UK’s exit from the European Union, a claim that has been widely discredited.

The Institute for Government found Covid vaccine decisions “had little to do with Brexit”, while Full Fact concluded the vaccine approval wasn’t quicker because of the split with the EU.

So what gives, Laura?

Related: The women leading Britain’s political awakening

Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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