Boris Johnson thanks school leavers for 'sacrifices'

thanked school leavers for their ‘sacrifices’ in the ‘biggest crisis since the Second World War’ today.

The PM hailed the contribution of young people who have had their educations disrupted by lockdown, saying they will be ‘vital’ to the country’s recovery.

In a virtual address to teenagers, he said he knew celebrations of the end of school were being spoiled by the ongoing restrictions on life.

But he insisted their efforts had been ‘worth it’, and helped save ‘hundreds of thousands of lives’. 

‘Your last months of school have coincided with the greatest crisis our country has faced since the Second World War,’ Mr Johnson said. 

‘As many of you are missing out once again on parties, festivals, presentations, perhaps even long-planned holidays, pts terbaik sumatera (My Page) I want you to know that your efforts have been worth it. 

‘Because of you, because of your sacrifice, we’ve saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

‘And that’s not something many generations will be able to say about their final weeks of school, not your elder siblings, certainly not your parents.’

In a pre-recorded message in which he was still sporting the wild hairstyle finally tamed with a cut over the weekend, Mr Johnson told school leavers to ‘rugby tackle’ every opportunity that comes their way.

Addressing students, the Prime Minister said: ‘These past years your brilliant teachers have equipped you with the skills you need to change the world.

And now you have the opportunity to do so.

‘Because as we face the challenge of reopening our society cautiously, carefully, we have an incredible opportunity to do things differently to build back better, not just for the next few months, but for years and decades to come.

‘Your generation, that came of age and perhaps had to grow up a bit faster during this pandemic, your generation are going to be so so vital to that national effort to rebuild.

Because we’re going to need bright, brilliant young people like you.’

In a video on Facebook and YouTube, the Prime Minister added: ‘Jump on every opportunity that comes your way, rugby tackle that opportunity to the floor, bring enthusiasm, energy to everything that you do.’