Great Britain - Corona Commission: Johnson rejects accusation of incompetence
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted his own mistakes to the British Corona Commission of Inquiry, but rejected accusations of incompetence. Corresponding chat messages from his advisors and staff were due to the difficult circumstances of fighting the pandemic, Johnson said in London on Wednesday. Many talented people had tried to do their best. Under stress, they tended to be extremely critical of others. "We had to constantly challenge ourselves and constantly try to do better," said the Conservative politician.
The fact that swear words and derogatory remarks about others were often used in the chats was not unusual for government work, said Johnson. Debates under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were certainly also "pretty juicy". However, it had been "creatively useful" to have people around him who doubted themselves and others. It would have been worse if only respectable people had been around him. At the same time, Johnson admitted that many expressions had been unacceptable. The ex-prime minister is to be questioned for a total of two days until Thursday afternoon.
The public Covid Inquiry is currently investigating whether the UK was adequately prepared for the pandemic. According to death certificates, around 227,000 people died from Covid-19 in the UK, which is significantly more than in Germany despite the smaller population. The commission, headed by former judge Heather Hallett, can hear witnesses under oath and request documents, but cannot pass judgment.
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Source: www.stern.de
