Lewis Hamilton demands "better leaders" as he slates UK government's handling of Covid-19

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton demands "better leaders" as he slates UK government's handling of Covid-19

The six-time F1 champion has again aired his thoughts on social media

Ian Parkes

Monday 8 June 2020 14:08 Updated: 16:43

Six-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has strongly criticised the UK government over its handling of the Covid-19 crisis.

After recently using his social media profile to draw attention to the death of George Floyd, Hamilton has again used his accounts to launch an attack on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Cabinet.

Britain has the second-highest death rate in the world due to the pandemic, reaching 40,542 on Sunday (June 7), second only to the United States that recently topped 100,000.

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The comments come as England, Scotland and Wales on Monday (June 8) introduced new policy in which all arrivals into the three countries are required to self-isolate for 14 days, a procedure Hamilton feels is too little too late.

Via a post on Twitter, Mercedes driver Hamilton said: “I’m appalled at the UK government on how they have handled covid.

“You should have closed the boarders [sic] months ago. How you can let people fly in from countries without being tested is baffling.

“You could have saved thousands of lives. We need better leaders!”

Hamilton has also condoned the actions of 'Black Lives Matter' protestors in Bristol on Sunday who tore down a controversial statue of slave trader Edward Colston.

Via Instagram, Hamilton said: "Edward Colston was a monster who bought, sold, and traded Africans, human beings, and forced them into slavery until they died. Nobody who did this should be honored [sic]. It was/is terrorism. Now. Then. ⁣ ⁣ "He never should’ve had a statue. ⁣I’m proud of the activists and organisers in Bristol, in the United Kingdom, who tore this down. ⁣ ⁣ "TEAR THEM ALL DOWN. Everywhere. ⁣I support this."

In the same Twitter post in which he condemned the UK government, Hamilton added: “If those people hadn’t taken down that statue, honouring a racist slave trader, it would never have been removed.

“There’s talks of it going into a museum. That mans [sic] statue should stay in the river just like the 20 thousand African souls who died on the journey here and thrown into the sea, with no burial or memorial.

“He stole them from their families, country and he must not be celebrated! It should be replaced with a memorial for all those he sold, all those that lost their lives!”