G7 must learn from pandemic to ‘build back better’: Johnson

LONDON: Boris Johnson said the G7 must learn from the mistakes of the pandemic as he predicted the leading economies would “bounce back” from the Covid-19 recession.

The Prime Minister said the group of leading democracies should also avoid the errors that followed the 2008 financial crash and ensure the recovery helped all parts of society.

The G7 nations will promise a billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to help poorer countries tackle the pandemic, with Johnson promising at least 100 million surplus doses from the UK over the coming year.

The leaders were met by the Prime Minister and Carrie Johnson as they arrived at the summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, and posed for a “family photograph” ahead of their discussions. It is the first face-to-face meeting for the group in almost two years as a result of what Johnson called the “most wretched pandemic”.

The Prime Minister said: “We need to make sure that we learn the lessons from the pandemic, we need to make sure that we don’t repeat some of the errors that we doubtless made in the course of the last 18 months or so.”

He said the G7 economies: the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy; had the potential to “bounce back very strongly” from the pandemic. “But it is vital that we don’t repeat the mistake of the last great crisis, the last great economic recession of 2008, when the recovery was not uniform across all parts of society.”

There was a risk the pandemic could leave a “lasting scar” as “inequalities may be entrenched”, Johnson said.

“We need to make sure that as we recover, we level up across our societies and we build back better,” he added. The Prime Minister also suggested the recovery should be a “gender neutral” or “more feminine” one. The politicians, including US President Joe Biden, will later attend a lavish reception at the Eden Project attended by the Queen. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will also take part in their first G7 events, another milestone in their progression as senior royals.

The duchess and US First Lady Jill Biden visited an academy school for four to 11-year-olds to highlight the issue of the early years development of children. William and Kate will also join the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the G7 leaders reception on Friday evening.

The opening of the summit saw the politicians arrive on the beach at Carbis Bay before the leaders of the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and the EU gathered together for the customary group photo.

With the focus on avoiding the spread of coronavirus, and Mrs Johnson bumped elbows with the visiting leaders in place of the pre-pandemic handshakes. The seaside location led Mrs Biden to joke “I feel like we are at a wedding”. while the newlywed Johnson said it was like “walking down the aisle”.

President Biden urged the watching media to go swimming, quipping “everyone in the water”. Following the group photo, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, was seen in deep conversation with Biden.

Johnson had a diplomatic triumph on Thursday when he met Biden for the US President’s first overseas talks. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Washington next month, beating Johnson to the White House.

Over the coming days, Johnson will have talks with Merkel and other key EU players, including Macron and the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, as efforts continue to resolve the dispute over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit arrangements.—PA