Boris Johnson Claims COVID-19 Originated from a Chinese Lab Leak

In a dramatic reversal of his earlier views, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has publicly stated that he now believes COVID-19 originated from a laboratory accident in Wuhan, China, rather than through animal-to-human transmission. Johnson made these revelations in his upcoming memoir Unleashed, in which he asserts that the virus was “entirely man-made” and the result of a “botched experiment.”

Johnson’s shift in perspective marks a significant departure from his previous stance during his time in office when he aligned more with the theory that COVID-19 emerged from unsanitary conditions at a seafood market in Wuhan. As the pandemic raged in 2020, Johnson had publicly blamed China’s wet markets for facilitating the virus’s jump from animals, such as bats and pangolins, to humans.

Boris Johnson said he considered an ‘aquatic raid’ on the Netherlands to snatch back Covid vaccines in 2021

But the plan didn’t go ahead in the end, as the UK would have had to explain ‘why we are effectively invading a longstanding Nato ally’ pic.twitter.com/q65pjDYYmI

— Metro (@MetroUK) September 29, 2024

His recent claims follow growing global debate over the origins of the virus. While many scientists maintain that COVID-19 most likely spread from animals sold at the Wuhan market, a substantial faction supports the possibility that the virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where high-risk experiments on coronaviruses were reportedly conducted. Johnson’s belief in this lab-leak theory now aligns with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance, who also endorsed this explanation for the virus’s origins.

In his memoir, Johnson illustrates the virus’s accidental release with a vivid analogy, comparing the lab work to “splicing bits of virus together like the witches in Macbeth,” leading to the virus escaping and spreading globally. He described this as an anthropogenic (human-caused) catastrophe, pointing to the potential mishandling of laboratory experiments.

We now know two of the figures who met with Anas Sarwar today in his self-styled Commonwealth Games business meeting. Notorious SNP bashers Stephen Montgomery and Donald MacLeod. MacLeod once praised Boris Johnson’s handling of Covid as you can hear in our clip. pic.twitter.com/Hg87d9K1cW

— MSM Monitor (@msm_monitor) September 16, 2024

While Johnson’s claims add fuel to the ongoing debate, scientific consensus remains divided. Numerous studies continue to support zoonotic transmission, with a recent report from a team of U.S. and French scientists reinforcing the view that the pandemic likely began in the Wuhan market. They identified genetic traces of infected animals, such as raccoon dogs and civet cats, as probable carriers of the virus​. Despite this, Johnson and others argue that intelligence and circumstantial evidence strongly suggest a lab origin​.

This shift in Johnson’s narrative is also underscored by remarks from top intelligence officials. Earlier in 2023, FBI Director Christopher Wray publicly stated that a lab leak was the “most likely” origin of the pandemic, pointing to assessments by the intelligence community that raised the likelihood of an accidental release from a Chinese government-controlled facility​. However, the White House has yet to adopt a unified position, with President Biden’s administration refraining from endorsing either theory conclusively.

China has consistently denied any wrongdoing or mishandling of the virus, dismissing lab-leak accusations as politically motivated. Beijing has instead pointed to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2021 investigation, which deemed the lab-leak theory “extremely unlikely.” Despite the WHO’s findings, calls for a more thorough, independent investigation continue, especially in light of renewed public interest and political pressure​.

Johnson’s statements are likely to reignite the debate over accountability and transparency concerning the pandemic’s origins, as nations worldwide grapple with the lasting effects of COVID-19. His claims also arrive amid heightened tensions between China and Western nations over the handling of the virus and global public health.

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