Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes has caused a stir after admitting that she wanted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to die of coronavirus during his recent hospitalisation.
The actress recently appeared on Adam Hills‘ The Last Leg Locked Down Under, and was asked her opinion of how the government has handled the pandemic.
Never one to hold back, she told the hosts:
“Appallingly, of course, appallingly. It’s a disgrace, it’s a scandal. It’s a public scandal. I had difficulty not wanting Boris Johnson to die. I wanted him to die. Then I thought that will reflect badly on me and I don’t want to be the sort of person that wants people to die.”
She then added:
“So then I wanted him to get better, which he did do, he did get better. But he didn’t get better as a human being. And I really would prefer that. So we’re in the shit, basically, here.”
Reactions have been mixed to say the least. Some said that the public should save its outrage for Boris Johnson himself, who has been responsible for “thousands upon thousands of actual deaths” thanks to his government’s handling of the pandemic:
Johnson is responsible for thousands upon thousand of actual deaths.
Save your outrage for him — Miriam Margolyes is just voicing a thought that must have crossed many people’s minds.pic.twitter.com/pSwtA5QUmI
— JD Black🥀 (@_JD_Black) May 8, 2020
Piers Morgan, on the other hand, labelled her comments “disgusting” and an example of “toxic tribalism”:
Disgusting. This is where toxic tribalism has got us.. actively wanting people of a different political persuasion to die. Shame on you Ms Margoyles. https://t.co/WBVP5bt4Vp
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 9, 2020
Miriam Margolyes appeared on an episode of Q&A back in 2015 and was asked her opinion of the then-Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. “He’s a tit,” she said.
