With deaths from COVID-19 in the UK hitting a terrible high of 1,610 on 19th January its easy (and in my view correct) to accuse Boris Johnson of being asleep on the job. As Prime Minister his decisions or lack of them have made matters much worse than they might have been. As bad everything in his past political record points to this being more or less what would happen if Johnson was in charge of a national crisis.
Related to this have been claims, denied by Downing St, that Johnson takes naps during the day. Given that he had COVID-19 himself in March/April 2020 this may well be an impact of what is known as Long or Post COVID. If so its a pity Johnson doesnt admit it and speak up about it.
More generally I dont think there is anything wrong with having a brief nap during the day (if the job and circumstances allow). There is something rather macho about suggesting there isnt.
That of course is another problem for Johnson. Day time naps go counter to the image he has constructed of himself. In her biography of Johnson, Just Boris, Sonia Purnell notes that Johnson compared himself to Margaret Thatcher who slept little and was already busy with the days work at 5am.
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