UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that he will not go into the details of his private family conversations after his father, Stanley Johnson, flew to Greece amid the country's COVID-19 lockdown
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that he will not go into the details of his private family conversations after his father, Stanley Johnson, flew to Greece amid the country's COVID-19 lockdown.
"I am not going to get into details of my family conversations ... I think that I'm very pleased that the overwhelming majority of the British population have understood what needs to be done and have been very prudent, and that is the right thing to do," Johnson said during an appearance on the country's LBC radio broadcaster.
The UK government has previously warned against all but non-essential travel, although the prime minister's father arrived at his property in Greece on Wednesday, flying indirectly through Bulgaria, in order to "COVID-proof" his property ahead of the summer letting season.
Stanley Johnson is the second person linked to the prime minister, after his senior adviser Dominic Cummings, to face widespread public criticism for flouting the government's COVID-19 social distancing and travel restrictions.
Earlier on Friday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also defended Stanley Johnson, reiterating that the government's COVID-19 advice is merely guidance, and not legally binding.
"The advice says you have to make your own decision about whether you want to travel," Shapps said during an appearance on the Sky news broadcaster.
The UK government is set to abolish the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for international travelers arriving in England. This comes amid a falling rate of transmission as just 576 new positive tests were registered in the UK on Thursday, down from 829 on Wednesday.
