Boris Johnson convinced that Covid made in a Chinese laboratory was a “botched experiment” | Politics | News

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has explosively declared that he now believes the global Covid-19 pandemic came from a leak in a Chinese laboratory.

The former leader of the Conservative Party reveals in his upcoming book “Unleashed”, published in series by the Daily Mailthat he rejected the once-prevailing view that the virus was zoonotic – transmitted from animals to humans – originating from a Wuhan wildlife market.

Johnson is fueling the media frenzy with explosive claims from his book and, in a stunning reversal from his claims while in office, claims that the pathogen responsible for the deaths of more than seven million people in the world has not actually made the jump from animals to humans.

The ousted prime minister's revelations could put additional pressure on reluctant Chinese authorities to disclose more of what they know about the emerging pandemic.

In a poignant passage, Johnson says: “The horrible thing about the whole Covid catastrophe is that it seems to have been entirely man-made, in every aspect. It now seems extremely likely that the mutation was the result of a botched experiment. a Chinese laboratory.

“Some scientists were clearly putting together virus fragments, like the witches from Macbeth, bat eye and frog toe, and oops, the frisky little creature jumped out of the test tube and started replicating itself all over the world.”

Echoing remarks similar to those made by former US President Donald Trump, Boris Johnson rejected the idea that the coronavirus was transmitted “zoonotically” through infected animals, lending his voice to the leak theory. laboratory which, although sometimes described as a conspiracy theory, has a certain influence. among certain reputable circles.

Previously, Johnson, while prime minister, linked the outbreak to “insane” beliefs prevalent in parts of Asia about the medicinal power of pangolin scales, and that “if you grind the scales of a pangolin, you will somehow become more powerful.” ” he said at the time. But now, presenting an increasingly skeptical stance, he references new information about experiments conducted in Wuhan, China, hinting at human intervention in the creation of the virus.

In another bold move, the former prime minister returns in his book to his position regarding the strict lockdowns put in place under his government.

Johnson's lockdowns, which are credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives in the UK but criticized for seriously damaging the economy, are now described as “medieval in their savagery and consequences” by the ex- Prime Minister himself.

He writes that the UK fought the virus “with an ever-increasing array of restrictions that were literally medieval in their savagery and consequences”.

He further comments: “By locking down our societies, we have shown that we have barely progressed since early modern England, when Shakespeare and his colleagues were repeatedly forced by law to close the Globe Theater and that they only had rules about human contact six at funerals, for example, which eerily foreshadowed some of the obscure things we had imagined, week after week, in the Cabinet room.

On September 19, it was reported that a major international study claimed that the coronavirus began its life in a “wet market” where infected animals were found, with scientists rejecting the populist theory that Covid was leaked from a laboratory. Genetic samples from animals sold on market stalls in 2019 revealed traces of the Covid virus in certain species.

Study author Kristian Andersen of Scripps Research said in the paper: “This adds another layer to the accumulating evidence that all points to the same scenario: that infected animals were introduced into the market between mid and late November 2019, which triggered the pandemic. »

Ministers are reportedly looking into intelligence suggesting an accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which some believe could have been the source of the virus escape.

Scientists are reportedly carrying out high-risk experiments to improve the transmissibility of coronaviruses originating from bats in caves.

Despite much media speculation, the official position continued to be that Covid originated from the Wuhan animal market, with China never formally accused of causing the outbreak.

On May 1, 2023, FBI Chief Christopher Wray, in a groundbreaking interview, suggested that a laboratory leak was the “most likely” start of the pandemic. Wray said: “The FBI has believed for some time now that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential incident at a laboratory in Wuhan. Here you are talking about a potential leak from a laboratory controlled by the Chinese government. »

Nonetheless, the White House announced that there was no unified U.S. position on the possible origins of the virus.