MPs demand Boris Johnson apologise after blaming care homes for coronavirus death toll

Exclusive: Cross-party letter brands comment 'extremely offensive'

A cross-party group of MPs has written to Boris Johnson to demand an apology for his apparent attempt to blame care home operators for deaths of residents from coronavirus.

The prime minister sparked outrage on Monday by suggesting that the wave of almost 20,000 fatalities in care homes was due in part to too many not “following the procedures”.

As care home staff and operators responded with anger to the comments, Mr Johnson’s spokesman came under pressure at a media briefing to say whether the PM now regretted his words and would apologise or retract them, but declined to do so.

In the letter, signed by Liberal Democrat leadership candidate Layla Moran, as well as party colleagues Wendy Chamberlain, Jamie Stone and Wera Hobhouse, Labour’s Clive Lewis, Green MP Caroline Lucas and Stephen Farry of the Alliance Party, the MPs branded Mr Johnson’s comment “deeply offensive”.

They called on the PM to come forward with his long-promised plan for reform of the sector’s funding, as well as a pay rise for social care staff.

“Your comments seem at odds to previous government suggestions that you threw a ‘protective ring’ around care homes - a claim we believe is untrue, especially due to the failures in providing personal protective equipment and allowing hospital patients to be discharged without being tested,” they wrote.

“Furthermore, you have promised to ‘fix’ the social care system, although the government has yet to set out a precise plan for how.

“Whether your comments are an attempt to shift the blame, or just a case of unfortunate wording, it really is deeply offensive and has caused great hurt in a sector you supposedly champion in words, maybe not in deeds.”

Ms Moran said: “These crass comments from the prime minister about social care are not only untrue but are deeply offensive to the thousands of care staff who have gone above and beyond during this crisis.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran (PA)

"Boris needs to come forward, admit he made a mistake and apologise.

"But he needs to go further and offer a long-term plan for the future of social care and give the staff the pay rise they deserve."