According to reports, Boris Johnson is expected to acknowledge that he made errors in managing the pandemic during his appearance at the Covid inquiry next week.
According to the Times, the ex-prime minister will assert that the timing of the lockdowns he enforced ultimately resulted in preserving “tens if not hundreds of thousands of lives”.
Johnson is anticipated to state that in the absence of those actions, numerous individuals would have experienced “unpleasant and needless deaths, some of which would have occurred in hospital parking lots and hallways” as a result of the virus overwhelming the healthcare system.
Johnson’s statement follows the revelation of criticism regarding his professionalism from former cabinet members, government scientists, and advisors. In his testimony, former chief scientific advisor Patrick Vallance stated that Johnson was frequently overwhelmed by the scientific information surrounding Covid. Additionally, Sajid Javid has claimed that Downing Street was poorly organized and essentially controlled by Dominic Cummings.
Next week, Johnson will likely only briefly discuss Cummings during his appearance at the inquiry. Since resigning as the prime minister’s unofficial chief of staff in late 2020 in a contentious separation, Cummings has been openly critical of Johnson.
The Times reports that Johnson will admit that he and his government were not sufficiently cautious when they were informed of the virus in January 2020. He is expected to mention that his initial reaction was to liken it to less severe epidemics such as BSE, Sars, and bird flu.
Cummings has alleged that Johnson was not fully focused in the beginning of 2020 and instead took a vacation to work on a book about Shakespeare, although this claim is expected to be denied by the former prime minister. Johnson may face questioning during the investigation regarding his absence at five urgent Cobra meetings leading up to the initial nationwide lockdown.
Criticism regarding the government’s handling of the pandemic has not only been directed towards Johnson. During her testimony to the inquiry, former civil servant Helen MacNamara stated that former health secretary Matt Hancock displayed excessive confidence but often relayed information to colleagues in Downing Street that was later found to be untrue.
However, there are reports that Johnson will support Hancock by acknowledging his successful handling of challenging circumstances.
According to The Times, Johnson intends to support Sunak’s “eat out to help out” program, which offers discounted rates to help the hospitality industry recover from the initial lockdown.
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According to reports, despite statements from Prof Chris Whitty and Vallance claiming they were unaware of the plan until it was revealed, PM Johnson will apparently state that the idea was indeed discussed with them beforehand.
According to the Telegraph, the ex-prime minister is anticipated to mention that the high rate of obesity in the UK hindered efforts to combat the pandemic. The publication stated that Johnson’s preliminary statement to the inquiry pointed out various health concerns that have put the country at a disadvantage.
Johnson may face questions regarding parties held in Downing Street that violated lockdown restrictions. The Partygate controversy led to Johnson’s resignation from his position last year and his eventual decision in June, following a parliamentary investigation into whether he gave false information to Parliament about the events, to step down as an MP.
Sunak is anticipated to provide testimony in person before the Christmas holiday.
Source: theguardian.com
