LONDON, England (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged yesterday that the novel coronavirus pandemic has been a “disaster” for Britain, as he announced a spending splurge designed to get the country — and his faltering Conservative Government — back on track.

As the UK emerges from a three-month lockdown, Johnson has lined up big-money pledges on schools, housing, and infrastructure, in an attempt to move on from an outbreak that has left more than 43,000 Britons dead — the worst confirmed death toll in Europe.

Despite the gloomy economic outlook, Johnson said it would be “a mistake” to return to the austerity of previous Conservative governments, which since 2010 have cut public spending in an attempt to lower a national debt that was swollen by the 2008 global financial crisis.

In another sign of Johnson's attempt to regain control, Britain's top civil servant announced late Sunday he was stepping down.

Johnson has named David Frost, the Government's EU trade negotiator, to the national security post.