Boris Johnson’s reign is becoming one long crisis

London CNN — On Sunday, Boris Johnson will walk among his Conservative faithful for the first time since October 2019, as members of the UK’s governing party gather in the English city of Manchester for their 2021 conference. The UK’s 2015 National Risk Register placed “Influenza pandemic” as its first bullet in the section labeled “The highest priority risks.” In 2017, the register made specific mention of airborne human diseases. A government spokesperson responded to the criticisms made by interviewees in this article by saying that the “recent challenges that have arisen across Europe are the result of a unique and unprecedented combination of issues, and we are working closely with businesses to support them through this period.” They said that the government is in regular contact with the food and farming organizations and industry to help them manage the situation.” They added that “domestic gas storage capacity has had little bearing on the price of gas” and that “UK is not dependent on Russian oil or gas” as it “benefits from access to gas reserves in British territorial waters and secure sources from reliable import partners, such as Norway.” One way or another, it seems Johnson had ample time to cushion the blow for British citizens. “When we first came into office, the country had been exhausted by Brexit’s deadlock,” says a former senior adviser to Johnson. “It is entirely reasonable for a new government to look at all of the hypothetical things that could happen, including a pandemic, and ask how likely it is to hit while we are in office.” However, the former minister concedes that it is, on the other hand, entirely reasonable to ask why “a government introducing once-in-a-generation changes like Brexit wouldn’t do everything in its power to stop even the least likely disaster compounding Brexit difficulties.” Could it really be that the reason the UK was so ill-prepared for events that had been predicted is simply because Johnson doesn’t like dealing in bad news?