ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a starting point for the critical enquiries by analysing the political rhetoric of a letter sent by British prime minister Boris Johnson to all households in the UK in March 2020 setting out the rationale for the first of several lockdowns. It demonstrates the enduring importance of critical discourse analysis. Britain had the advantage of time, but the government watched inertly from afar as the virus devastated Italy, Spain, France and other nations in Europe and beyond. Critical linguistic analysis of the political rhetoric of this pandemic must evaluate this language within its wider societal context. The necessity of the measures is also established through the metaphorical construction of the coronavirus as an enemy or an opponent. The condition of the National Health Service (NHS) as the spectre of the virus loomed towards Britain in the early months of 2020 enhances even more the heroism of NHS workers.
