Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly set to tell the UK’s Covid-19 inquiry that he “undoubtedly made mistakes” in his handling of the pandemic.
But according to The Times, Britain’s leader during the coronavirus outbreak will argue that the decisions he made, including ordering three lockdowns in England, ended up saving “tens, if not hundreds of thousands of lives.”
He is expected to say that without such restrictions, thousands more people would have died “miserable and unnecessary deaths, some of them in hospital car parks and corridors” as the health service was overwhelmed by the virus.
Mr Johnson is due to appear next week before the inquiry he set up while still in Downing Street.
Aides to the former Conservative Party leader said the information to the newspaper did not come from them.
A spokesman said: “Boris Johnson will be attending the Covid inquiry next week and looks forward to assisting the inquiry with his important work.”
The Times said Johnson’s written statement, likely to be published after his appearance before the public inquiry, would barely mention his former top aide Dominic Cummings.
Cummings, who acted as his de facto chief of staff in Downing Street until late 2020, has been an outspoken critic of Johnson since their acrimonious split.
Johnson is reportedly set to back former health secretary Matt Hancock, who has come under fire from a number of inquiry witnesses, saying he did a “good job in very difficult circumstances”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who served as chancellor during the pandemic and whose resignation in July 2022 helped trigger the end of Johnson’s premiership, will be largely absent from the former prime minister’s written testimony, the paper said.
The Times said it plans to defend Sunak’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme, a government-backed discount provision that was designed to support the hospitality sector following the first lockdown.
Johnson will reportedly say the proposal was “properly discussed” with England’s chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty and former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, despite both saying they knew nothing about it until it was announced.
Johnson is likely to be questioned about allegations that his No 10 operation was dysfunctional, a claim made by former chancellor and health secretary Sajid Javid this week at the inquiry.
Mr Javid said it appeared “the key decisions were being taken by Mr Cummings and not the prime minister” – something the seasoned politician said he had never seen before under other prime ministers.
This comes after Hancock, in a written statement submitted to the inquiry published on Friday, said Johnson had apologised for hiring Cummings to work in Downing Street.
He said: “The then Prime Minister apologised to me for appointing his senior adviser and for the damage it caused to the Covid-19 response.”
It is unclear when the alleged apology was made.
Johnson is also likely to be asked about lockdown-breaking parties held in Downing Street.
The scandal, known as “Partygate,” contributed to Johnson’s ouster from his top job last year and his eventual decision in June, following an investigation by lawmakers into whether he misled Parliament about the meetings, to resign as an MP.
Sunak is expected to give evidence in person before Christmas, and the chair, Baroness Hallett, is currently investigating UK decision-making during the second phase of her inquiry.
