Boris Johnson says COVID-19 has been a disaster for Britain

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic has been a “disaster” for Britain. Johnson says the outbreak that has left more than 43,000 people in Britain dead has been “an absolute nightmare for the country.” Now he is trying to move on with a spending splurge designed to get the country, and his faltering Conservative government, back on track. Johnson has lined up big-money pledges on schools, housing and infrastructure. Johnson has promised a “Rooseveltian approach,” invoking the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt that helped wrench the United States out of the Great Depression. Critics want to know where the money will come from, with Britain facing a deep recession.