Miriam Margolyes brands UK government 'utterly deplorable', says she's 'not happy' in England
Miriam Margolyes has branded the government "utterly deplorable" and said there is “so much hatred” in the UK.
The outspoken actor and presenter said the country is in a "terrible state" due to Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.
She told The Guardian: “There’s so much hatred. The country’s in a terrible state and that’s because of Brexit, and then there’s the virus. It’s vile. I am not happy in England. The government is utterly deplorable. The world is in chaos. I’m not an optimistic person at the moment.”
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Her comments came prior to Boris Johnson appearing on TV on Sunday night to deliver an announcement on plans to ease lockdown in the UK, which currently has the second highest global coronavirus death toll.
Margolyes also appeared on Channel 4's The Last Leg on Friday night via video link, chatting to the show's host Adam Hills and presenters Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker.
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The Harry Potter actor, who is a vocal supporter of the Labour Party, told the trio that she "had difficulty not wanting Boris Johnson to die" when he was battling COVID-19, from which he has now recovered.
She then clarified: “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.”
"So then I wanted him to get better, which he did do, he did get better,” Margolyes went on. “But he didn’t get better as a human being. I really would prefer that."
The 78-year-old is currently isolating at her home in south London, away from partner of 52 years, Heather, who lives in Amsterdam.
Last month, she gave a candid interview on This Morning where she discussed being apart from her partner during isolation.
Margolyes also told The Guardian that she was considering a move to Australia, where she is a citizen, but wasn’t sure if she could commit to living there full-time due to feeling “strongly” about the NHS.