The speech was an effort to inject optimism
into the political debate and shift focus
away from the government’s response to the
pandemic, which has killed more than 42,000
people in Britain, the highest death toll in
Europe. People from across the
political spectrum have criticized the
government’s test and trace system, and
members of Johnson’s own party have
opposed restrictions aimed at slowing the
spread of the disease.
In his 30-minute speech Johnson underscored
previous pledges to hire more nurses and
police officers, upgrade highways and railroads,
and make Britain a world leader in renewable
energy. This will give private industry the tools
it needs to build a stronger, more equitable
economy, he said.
Johnson, who was hospitalized with
COVID-19 in April, added that his government
has had to take tough decisions during the
pandemic and rejected the opposition Labour
Party’s calls for government spending to
rebuild the economy.
“We have no time now to focus on Captain
Hindsight and his regiment of potshot,
snipeshot fusiliers,” Johnson said, echoing a
barb he has directed at Labour leader Keir
Starmer in recent weeks.
While the continuing crisis has sidelined other
initiatives, Johnson has continued to push his
environmental agenda. He pledged Tuesday
that every home in Britain will be powered by
wind energy in a decade as the government
kick-starts a “green industrial revolution” that
will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.