Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, addressing the COVID inquiry on Thursday, dismissed any notion that he wished to let the virus “let rip,” labeling such suggestions as “rubbish” and “completely wrong.”
Johnson, who served as prime minister from 2019 to 2022, faced scrutiny regarding the period preceding the November 2020 national lockdown. Former advisers presented evidence that Johnson, concerned about economic repercussions, preferred letting the virus spread over imposing another lockdown. He vehemently denied endorsing the idea of letting the virus spread and the notion that he believed older people had reached the end of their time.
Johnson clarified, “The implication you’re trying to draw from those conversations is completely wrong,” asserting that the strategy aimed to save human life across all age groups. Despite over 230,000 COVID-related deaths in Britain, he defended the implemented strategy.
Resigning amidst scandals, including alcohol-fueled gatherings in Downing Street during lockdowns, Johnson faced damaging testimony about a toxic culture and his reluctance to enforce lockdown measures during the pandemic. Dismissing prior evidence as “accounts…culled from people’s jottings,” he claimed that Britain initiated a second lockdown promptly when the disease resurged.
Johnson noted that the phrase “let it rip” was commonly used in autumn 2020, . He described his role as challenging consensus in meetings, questioning scientists advocating for a full lockdown rather than a policy of shielding vulnerable individuals.
He emphasized, “It does not do justice to what we did, our thoughts, our feelings, my thoughts, my feelings,” rejecting the idea that they were reconciled to fatalities or that he found it acceptable to let the virus “rip.”
He also apologized for the government’s initial complacency and acknowledgment of underestimating the crisis risks.
