To many foreign observers, Britain’s death toll serves as confirmation of deeper-rooted problems
Britain’s coronavirus death toll against other countries’ had been a fixture of the daily government press conference. When it was first produced, on March 30th, it showed the United Kingdom trailing Spain, Italy, France and America in a grisly league table. On May 9th, the last time it was displayed, Britain was the highest in Europe. It has now disappeared from the briefings.
At home, the crisis has become a political risk for Mr Johnson. His announcement on May 10th of tentative steps to unwind the lockdown did not go well. Only a third of voters said they understood what the new “Stay alert, control the virus” slogan asked of them. Teachers’ unions criticised plans to start to reopen schools on June 1st as unsafe. In London the Tube and some buses were busy, despite Mr Johnson’s plea for returning workers to avoid public transport.
Attitudes at home are reflected abroad. Chinese parents panicked on social media about children studying in a plague-ridden basket-case. But the Europeans are most vociferous. Coronavirus has reinforced unfavourable views formed during the Brexit saga. The British government’s early dismissal of lockdowns was seen as reminiscent of Mr Johnson’s disregard for the risks of leaving the bloc. The German press has been particularly scathing.
Reputation is soft power, and big cheeses in the foreign-policy world worry about the impact on Britain’s ability to sway opinion. “During the Brexit process I was very struck by the decline in Britain’s authority,” says a former foreign secretary, noting particular dismay in Japan. “We weren’t treated as grown-ups.” Esteem for Britain is probably recoverable, says Michael Jay, a former head of the foreign office, but securing top international posts may be tricky for a while.
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