Former British prime minister Theresa May has criticized world leaders for their “inability to forge a coherent international response” to the novel coronavirus pandemic, in an opinion piece for the Times of London on Wednesday.
May, who was prime minister from 2016 until the summer of 2019, said that though researchers and scientists across the world are working together, there is “little evidence of politicians doing so.”
“A polarized politics has taken hold. It views the world through a prism of winners and losers and sees compromise and cooperation as a sign of weakness,” May wrote.
While acknowledging there are “real questions” about the initial response of the Chinese government, May said it would be a “mistake” to “allow this to become a fault line in international relations.”
Amid ongoing questions of the World Health Organization and the US withdrawal in funding, May said frustrations should be “channeled into reforming” the organisation and “not denigrating the concept of international co-operation.”
This comes as the UK struggles to contain the virus. Yesterday the UK’s death toll surpassed Italy’s, making it the highest in Europe and second globally after the US.
