Boris Johnson will apologize for the mistakes made in the management of the coronavirus pandemic during his leadership of the British Government in the sworn statement he will give next week before the independent commission overseeing the health crisis. It will be a gesture of partial contrition that the former Conservative prime minister will compensate with a resounding defense of the success of the vaccination program and other “crucial decisions” taken in the fight to stop the spread of the virus and contain deaths.
From the mea culpa to an unconditional approval of his work in controlling the situation will frame the position of the controversial and popular former deputy during his long-awaited appearance before the investigative panel, as his entourage has leaked to the media. Johnson will take the stand on Wednesday and Thursday, during some 10 hours of questioning, with absolute determination to purge his reputation after the discredit of the covid parties in Downing Street and accusations of chaos, toxicity, ignorance, insecurity and other deficiencies in his exercise of power throughout the viral catastrophe pointed out by advisors, officials, scientists and former ministers.
The former head of government will admit that he was “too complacent” and optimistic about the threat of the new coronavirus, which has disrupted the lives of almost seven million people worldwide. Data from the Worldometer platform place the United Kingdom in an intermediate position in the Western ranking of deaths in absolute terms, but near the top in relative figures, with an average of 3,389 per million inhabitants, compared to 3,536 in the United States. United, the 3,205 in Italy, 2,606 in Spain or the 2,556 in France.
Johnson will defend the decision to impose confinement on March 23, 2020, several weeks late compared to other countries in the European Union and against the criteria accepted at the time or with the benefit of perspective from witnesses who have already testified. before the same commission. Instead, he will point to the national clinical picture, with high rates of obesity and cardiopulmonary diseases, among the factors that placed the United Kingdom at an apparent disadvantage compared to other countries.
The official investigation is revealing the poor opinion that some and others had of the prime minister, who resigned in July 2022 in the midst of an internal rebellion of distrust in his character and his government management. Chief scientist Patrick Vallance observed that Johnson felt “overwhelmed” by scientific data, a senior civil servant denounced the “toxic” atmosphere in Downing Street, then communications director Lee Cain admitted it was a “misguided crisis” for the “skills” of the premier and his always controversial strategic advisor, Dominic Cummings, described him as “a shopping cart” that alters course at every intersection of hallways.
Johnson will try to put to rest the barrage of criticism by declaring that the tension between the different departments and ministries served as an incentive to work effectively and will justify the reported changes in strategy in the flow of data and scientific advice that he received every minute of the pandemic.
His circle also assures that he will downplay electronic messages in which he apparently mocks the critical situation. “We risk confusing sarcasm or jokes with serious analysis,” The Times excerpts from the former president’s written statement, which is more than 200 pages long. He will deny, according to the same sources, that he ever told his Downing Street team a phrase that the covid victims do not forgive him for: “Let the corpses pile up high.”
