Johnson regrets his loose corona regime
The UK has one of the highest death rates in the world during the coronavirus pandemic. Boris Johnson, who was sacked following various scandals, has to answer questions about this before a committee of inquiry. There he is meek by his standards.
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 coronavirus," he said at a hearing before the parliamentary committee of inquiry in London. It was not initially apparent that corona could be "a real potential national disaster". "I can understand the feelings of the victims and their families and deeply regret the pain, loss and suffering of the victims and their families."
Johnson resigned in 2022 after three years in government due to a series of scandals. Under his watch, the UK recorded one of the highest pandemic-related death rates in the world. During the strict contact restrictions, under which most Britons had to stay at home, he is said to have attended party-like gatherings of government employees, including serving alcoholic beverages. His coronavirus policy has also been criticized. He is said to have asked whether you could kill the virus by blowing into 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.
Disrespectful chat messages from his advisors and staff were due to the difficult circumstances of fighting the pandemic, Johnson explained. 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.
Toxic working environment
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 also certainly "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.
Johnson acknowledged a toxic working environment and too few female staff in his government team. "I think the gender balance on my team should have been better," he said in response to a question. "I think too many meetings during the pandemic were too male-dominated."
Three hours before the hearing began, the ex-prime minister had driven to the hearing venue in the dark to avoid the relatives of Covid victims. Lawyer Aamer Anwar, who represents Scottish relatives, accused Johnson of a "deadly culture of impunity and incompetence". People had been treated like "toxic waste".
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Source: www.ntv.de
