Stanley Johnson leaves This Morning fans outraged over plans to visit the pub during the coronavirus outbreak
Stanley Johnson made a rather controversial appearance on This Morning today (March 17).
While discussing the coronavirus pandemic alongside Vanessa Feltz with presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, the father of Prime Minister Boris Johnson made some baffling comments about visiting a pub during this dangerous time.
The government recently encouraged people in the UK – particularly those over 70 – to limit non-essential social contact, including mixing in pubs and clubs, in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
Related: Odeon, Vue, Cineworld and Picturehouse UK cinemas close amid coronavirus pandemic
But when Phil and Holly asked the 79-year-old former I'm a Celebrity star whether he'd be socialising in a pub at all, Stanley responded: "Course I'll go to a pub, if I need to go to a pub."
Mirroring every viewers' thoughts, Phillip quickly referenced the measures that the Prime Minister had recommended to the public on Monday (March 16).
"What do you think your son is going to say to that? He just told you not to," Phillip said.
Related: Coronation Street and Emmerdale continue filming after latest coronavirus updates
"No, he said we should avoid going to pubs," Stanley replied. "But if I had to go to a pub, I'd go to a pub. The people who run pubs need a little bit of people. You know, they don't want people to not be in a pub at all – that's my line."
And it's safe to say that Stanley's words didn't go over too well with viewers on social media:
79 year old Stanley Johnson, the Prime Minister’s dad has just appeared on national TV and said
‘If I have to go to a pub, of course I’ll go to a pub.' 🤦🏻♂️🙅🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
And the government thinks its advice has been clear pic.twitter.com/jNhsvH9P4R— Darren McCaffrey (@DarrenEuronews) March 17, 2020
#ThisMorning why is Stanley Johnson giving out completely inaccurate damaging advice.
Sweet lord this is absolutely reckless ....— Marcella (@CellaH26) March 17, 2020
@thismorning why are you platforming Stanley Johnson saying he'd directly contradict national safety advice? Uninformed debate in a time of national crisis is dangerous, not "balance".
— Alice Bayes (@AliceBayes) March 17, 2020
It’s foolish of Stanley Johnson to publicly ignore the advice of the Prime Minister (his son) @BorisJohnson, when lives are at risk. This makes Boris look bad when he is trying to keep us safe from the threat of the #CoronavirusOutbreak. #WashYourHands #coronavirus #StaySafe
— Hayden V. Beckett (@HaydenVBeckett) March 17, 2020
biggest threat to @BorisJohnson is #stanleyjohnson have a word …… https://t.co/F5yLyMGGWp
— AHS (@MILERHS) March 17, 2020
The Prime Minister's father has indicated he would ignore his son's advice to tackle the coronavirus & still go to the pub.
Stanley Johnson, 79, said: "Of course I'll go to a pub if I need to go to a pub."
FFS & the PM thinks people are sensible enough to do the right thing— Carasel (@Carasel) March 17, 2020
I don’t think Stanley Johnson is helping the government stance on #covidー19. If he HAS to go to the pub, he will. He’s nearly 80 and doesn’t consider himself in the at risk group. Being the PM’s father has given him special powers. #ThisMorning
— Ian (@SuperPosh7) March 17, 2020
Meanwhile, Idris Elba recently confirmed that he had tested positive for coronavirus, while Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have left the hospital in which they were being treated for the virus after also testing positive, but remain quarantine.
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV.
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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