Covid-19 coronavirus: Let elderly die from virus to cut lockdown cost, says Abbott

Tony Abbott, the former Australian Prime Minister tipped to become a British trade envoy, has said elderly Covid-19 patients should be allowed to die to reduce the economic costs of lockdown.

Abbott accused Western politicians of choosing to spend ruinous amounts of money on healthcare rather than encouraging the public to face up to the risks of the virus.

He warned that thanks to "virus hysteria", draconian lockdown measures could persist almost indefinitely, adding to the economic slowdown and creating a "something-for-nothing mindset" among young people living on furloughs.

Australia's Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese described Abbott's comments as a "new low".

Albanese told reporters: "Tony Abbott was never known for his compassion. This is a new low ... To make the comments that he did, I think, will cause a great deal of hurt for Australians who read those comments, particularly the families of those who have been impacted by Covid-19."

Tony Abbott has been accused of sinking to a new low after suggesting some elderly coronavirus victims should be left to die naturally. https://t.co/6UR7O2SlDR

— SBS News (@SBSNews) September 2, 2020

His comments, made during a visit to London, come just a week after it was reported that Abbott - a staunch supporter of Brexit - was to be made Britain's new joint president of the Board of Trade.

The position would involve drumming up deals for the UK around the world in the post-Brexit era.

Abbott addressed the Covid issue during a speech to the Policy Exchange think-tank, in which he said it would be better to allow elderly Covid patients to die naturally rather than keeping them alive through expensive medical care.

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Photo / Getty Images

He said it was costing Australia as much as £110,000 ($217,000) to give an elderly person an extra year's life, substantially beyond what it would usually pay for life-saving geriatric care.

Yesterday, Conservative MP Caroline Nokes said Boris Johnson should scrap the appointment of Abbott as a trade adviser, saying he was a "misogynist" who would undermine Trade Secretary Liz Truss and should not be "anywhere near" the board of trade.

"Is he the sort of man who should be representing us globally? No."

Abbott, who was Australia's Prime Minister between 2013 and 2015, has also warned in public of pandering too much to "health dictatorships" with regard to resolving the pandemic crisis.