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Boris Johnson Made ‘Operation Last Gasp’ Joke About Urgent U.K. Respirator-Making Project, Says Report

Some British business leaders were reportedly shocked by Johnson’s conduct on a very serious conference call.

Boris Johnson has largely managed to cloak his clownish persona when leveling with Britain about the severity of the coronavirus outbreak. But the prime minister reportedly slipped back into bad habits on a Monday night conference call with manufacturers, who have been urged to join a national effort to produce more medical ventilators for the impending medical crisis. Politico reports that some of the business leaders were “less than impressed” with Johnson’s conduct on the call, with one saying: “He couldn’t help but act the clown, even though he was a on call with serious CEOs from goodness knows how many companies.” The same unnamed business leader is reported to have said the prime minister “joked” that the emergency project to build more life-saving ventilators could be known as “Operation Last Gasp.” Politico reports that the prime minister’s office refused to comment on the claim.