2023-12-06 14:14:40
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is contrite about his misconduct during the coronavirus pandemic. “It would be fair to say that we underestimated the scale and speed of the challenge posed by Corona,” he said on Wednesday in a hearing before the parliamentary inquiry committee in London. He was interrupted during his statement.
Critics accuse the conservative politician of complicating the British response to the coronavirus with a chaotic course. Johnson had to give his statement twice because the commission chairwoman warned someone to sit down or leave the room. According to the British news agency PA, several people were then expelled from the hall.
Johnson said it was not initially apparent that Corona could be “a real potential national catastrophe”. “I understand the feelings of the victims and their families and am deeply sorry for the pain, loss and suffering of the victims and their families.”
Johnson resigned in 2022 after three years in power due to a series of scandals. Under his watch, the UK experienced one of the highest pandemic-related death rates in the world. He is said to have attended party-like gatherings of government employees, including the serving of alcoholic drinks, during the strict contact restrictions under which most Brits had to stay at home. There is also criticism of his Corona policy. He is said to have asked whether you could kill the virus if you blew your nose with a hairdryer. He is said to have told a government employee that he would rather see many people die than order a second lockdown.
Johnson admitted a toxic working atmosphere and too few female employees in his government team. “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.”
The ex-prime minister drove to the interrogation site in the dark three hours before the hearing began in order to avoid the relatives of those who died from Covid. Lawyer Aamer Anwar, representing Scottish relatives, accused Johnson of a “deadly culture of impunity and incompetence.” People were treated like “toxic waste”.
#Prime #Minister #Johnson #appears #remorseful #Corona #Committee