Boris: Youth Deserve The Nation's Thanks

Exclusive: PM vows there will be no limits to what Generation Lockdown can achieve in future

- David Maddox and Lucy Johnston

Boris Johnson today vowed not to let the pandemic ruin the dreams of Britain’s young, as he insisted: “There are no limits to what they can achieve.”

The Prime Minister acknowledged the “immense sacrifice” made by youngsters whose lives have been upended by “a virus which, in truth, seldom poses a lethal threat to them”.

Praising this newspaper for raising the plight of Generation Lockdown, he added: “I am determined that their prospects should not be damaged by everything they have been through.

“They have shouldered this burden willingly and with great resilience – and they deserve the thanks of the nation.”

Mr Johnson was speaking as 17-year-old Lucy Thorne, an A-level student from Dorset, wrote an open letter to him – published in today’s paper – explaining how difficult life currently is for today’s youth.

She said: “We are mature enough to understand what is happening to the country and have virtually no ability to partake in something that will affect the rest of our lives. Please listen to us!”

The PM’s pledge to children, teenagers and young adults comes as 18 Conservative MPs demand that schools reopen in England on February 22, in line with Scotland, rather than in early March which is the current plan.

Mr Johnson has promised to “get young people back into education as soon as prudence and caution allow”.