Boris Johnson’s Team Is Broken by the Virus and Losing Faith

The British handling of the pandemic is raising critical questions within the governing Conservative Party.

Boris Johnson claps while standing outside number 10 Downing Street during a national round of applause to show appreciation for health workers in London.Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

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By Tim Ross and Kitty Donaldson

June 12, 2020 at 10:37 AM UTC

Updated on

June 12, 2020 at 3:51 PM UTC

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Inside Boris Johnson’s government, senior officials are exhausted, demoralized and starting to despair.

Their dreams of reshaping Britain for a bright post-Brexit world have been blown off course by coronavirus. With more than 41,000 Covid-19 deaths in the U.K., Johnson has presided over the worst record in the world after the U.S.