In no other European country have as many people died in the corona pandemic as in Great Britain. Now the then prime minister must answer for himself. His government made mistakes, said Johnson, but it “did its best.”
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his regret over the deaths caused by the corona pandemic in the Corona Inquiry Committee. “I deeply regret the pain, loss and suffering of the victims and their families,” Johnson said on the first day of his testimony at the panel investigating the British government’s handling of the pandemic.
“In the course of dealing with a very, very difficult pandemic in which we had to weigh up terrible consequences with every decision, it may of course be that we made mistakes,” said the former prime minister, adding: “But I think we have gave our best back then.”
“Take personal responsibility”
Johnson said he takes personal responsibility for any decisions made and understands the public’s anger. When asked whether he could have acted differently on individual points, Johnson said. “No doubt. But I would be hard-pressed to list this in a hierarchy in front of you now.”
The conservative politician admitted a toxic working atmosphere and too few female employees in his government. “I think the gender ratio in my team should have been better,” he said in response to a question. “I think too many meetings have been too male-dominated during the pandemic.”
Johnson had to give his statement twice because the commission chairwoman warned protesters to sit down or leave the room. According to the British news agency PA, several people were then expelled from the hall.
“Johnson celebrated while people died”
Johnson arrived hours before the survey began – and thereby avoided a meeting with relatives of victims of the pandemic who wanted to protest at the venue.
Many of the families are hoping for answers from the public inquiry. A group gathered outside the London office building where the hearing is taking place. Some of the participants held up pictures of deceased relatives. A sign read: “Johnson celebrated while people died.”
Families protested outside the London office building where the hearing is taking place with photos of their deceased loved ones.
Cummings: Leadership was dysfunctional and chaotic
Critics accuse the conservative politician of violating Corona restrictions, waiting too long to impose the first lockdown and pursuing a chaotic Corona policy. The “Partygate” scandal also remains etched in the minds of many Brits – as a symbol of a policy that had lost sight of the citizens.
Johnson’s former employees have already painted a devastating picture of the government’s actions at the time before the committee of inquiry. At the end of October, former government adviser Dominic Cummings described a leadership characterized by chaos and dysfunction and made damning judgments about many of the people involved in the situation, including his former boss, the ex-prime minister. Johnson is said to have said, “Let the bodies pile up,” according to Cummings and Eddie Lister – another senior adviser. Johnson has disputed that statement.
In recent weeks, witnesses have described how the Conservative has struggled to make decisions at key moments of the crisis, including when to restrict the public’s movements.
Sunak should also be questioned
The public “Covid Inquiry” is led by former judge Heather Hallett. It can examine witnesses under oath and request documents, but cannot make judgments. The 59-year-old former prime minister is expected to continue to admit some mistakes during his two-day questioning, but argue that his decisions saved lives.
In the UK, around 230,000 people died from Covid-19, according to death certificates. Despite the smaller population, this is significantly more than in Germany. The country was one of the hardest hit countries in the world. As part of the review of the government’s response to the pandemic, the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was then Finance Minister, will also be interviewed this year.