PIERS MORGAN has erupted at the British Government's 'shambles' plan to begin reopening the country during the coronavirus pandemic, saying it "makes no sense".
The broadcaster, whose father is Irish, tore shreds out of Boris Johnson's "flim-flam, his bluster, his bellicose, fist-pumping rhetoric" on Good Morning Britain this morning, saying the plan the Prime Minister had announced yesterday evening was confusing and made no sense.
The UK PM had said that non-essential workers should go back to work if they are unable to work from home, but should not take public transport. He also announced that everyone should remain at home but are allowed to take 'unlimited amounts' of exercise, including being allowed to sunbathe in parks.
There was concern that the announcement to return to work was made on a Sunday evening, with little time to prepare for the return to work on Monday, and there were reports of packed public transport this morning.
The UK Government have since said that these new guidelines will come into effect on Wednesday, rather than today, Monday, but there is a consensus that the guidelines were rather vague and confusing, and #BorisHasFailed was the number one trending topic on Twitter in the UK yesterday evening.
"We've all woken up this morning and no one's really got a clue what we should be doing now," Morgan said on GMB today.
"That is dangerous. That's going to cost lives."
"People are going to go out when they shouldn’t be," he continued. "They’re going to be mixing in a way they shouldn’t be. They’re going to be infecting each other."
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen appeared on the show and Morgan asked him if he would now be able to see his two sons-- who he has not seen in 10 weeks-- under the new guidelines.
When Bridgen replied that he said that he believed it would be allowed as long as he maintained a social distance, the broadcaster furiously said "What you've just said is completely against the new rules".
"You are a Conservative Member of Parliament, who thinks you know exactly what Boris Johnson has been saying, and you just told me to do something I’m not allowed to do!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP4FTYAgcIk
"So this is the problem, isn't it?" Morgan ranted. "There is no clarity!
"It's a load of old flannel, talking about controlling the virus- and you, as a leading, high-profile Conservative politician, haven't got a clue about what these rules actually mean."
Mr Bridgend accused Morgan of 'diatribe' against the Prime Minister, which set the broadcaster on a furious tirade about "what my diatribe is."
"We have, according to the government’s own graphs-- and you can spin it any way you like-- the second worse death toll in the world. And that’s just the number we’re declaring of 31,000. The real figure, according to any detailed analysis of the ONS figures is 55,000 people."
"It’s an absolute national disgrace," he yelled, "and you can compare it to almost any other country in the world!
"We’ve had no PPE for the NHS frontline workers, that’s why 200 of them have died. It’s an absolute national disgrace.
"And when you come up and say, “I heard your diatribe against Boris Johnson'-- the diatribe is because so many people have died, and so many people are continuing to die!"
After Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the new announcement yesterday evening, Morgan took to Twitter where he called it a "total waste of time".
"So, the Prime Minister is urging millions of non-essential workers to go out to work - but also telling people we still can’t see family or friends even if we maintain the same social distancing rules as non-essential workers at work?", he wrote. "Makes no sense."
"Why can I now walk 2 metres away from any random strangers all day long - but not do the same with my family and friends?"
So, the Prime Minister is urging millions of non-essential workers to go out to work - but also telling people we still can’t see family or friends even if we maintain the same social distancing rules as non-essential workers at work?
Makes no sense.— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 10, 2020
"I haven't seen two of my sons for 10 weeks," he continued. "They live 10 minutes away, next to a large common. Am I allowed to go and see them, if I stay 2 metres away? The answer appears to be no, yet I can see 1000s of strangers a day in my local park if I stay 2m away," he said, before reiterating "Makes no sense."
"I can drive 100s of miles to sunbathe alongside complete strangers on a beach, maintaining 2m distance - but not see my parents? This is ridiculous."
The United Kingdom is the second-worst affected country in the world with regards to coronavirus, with 220,449 cases and 31,930 confirmed deaths.
