Great Britain - "This guy makes governing impossible": Boris Johnson in the crossfire of the Corona Commission
The good news for Boris Johnson: there will be no official verdict on his coronavirus policy, which many consider disastrous. But the British ex-Prime Minister is unlikely to have found the hours of questioning before the independent commission of inquiry pleasant. Lawyer Hugo Keith drove the 59-year-old forward with probing questions. Why did he hesitate with the first lockdown? Did he miss important meetings because he preferred to write a biography of Shakespeare, as his then chief counsel Dominic Cummings suggested?
Johnson's statement on Wednesday reminds many people in the UK of the mood in the first year of the pandemic in 2020. Johnson's government reacted too late, too hesitantly and too erratically - these are the accusations that have been leveled at the Conservative politician. He looks focused, his blonde hair is less tousled than usual.
Boris Johnson apologizes for the coronavirus pandemic
However, Johnson's answers hardly help in terms of content. Yes, in retrospect he made mistakes. Yes, he recognized the danger too late. That he shook hands with coronavirus patients? He probably shouldn't have done that, but he wanted to encourage people. What Johnson ultimately says is that nobody was prepared for what was to come. He had always followed the suggestions of his scientific advisors; it was an exceptional situation. He repeatedly says that he cannot remember exactly what happened.
Right at the beginning, the 59-year-old apologizes profusely for the immense suffering of the people. When he later talks about the spring of 2020, when he himself had to be temporarily cared for in intensive care, he even seems to be in tears.
But relatives of the victims do not believe his remorse. Four members of the audience are expelled from the hall: They had jumped up and held up posters. "The dead can't hear your apologies," it says. A personal meeting does not take place: Johnson arrives hours before the questioning, it is still dark. The media suspect that he wanted to avoid demonstrators.
Witness statements do not paint a good picture of the Johnson government
For weeks, the "Covid-19 Inquiry", which Johnson set up when he was prime minister, has been questioning high-profile witnesses under the chairmanship of former judge Heather Hallett. Former ministers testified, as did the government's scientific advisors and Johnson's former chief adviser Cummings. Cummings was once regarded as a "gray eminence", but has long had a hearty dislike for his former superior - and did not leave a good hair on Johnson's head. The former head of government was like a wandering shopping cart: he tended to constantly turn around and change his mind.
But other witness statements did not paint a favorable picture either. Johnson's former head of communications Lee Cain, for example, said that the pandemic was the "wrong crisis" for Johnson's "skills"; he accused him of procrastination and delay. Ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Cummings was the real Prime Minister - just not in title. Former chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said Johnson had been confused by research data. He reportedly once seriously asked whether the coronavirus could be stopped by blowing his nose with a special hairdryer.
Explosive WhatsApp messages also became known. In it, top government official Simon Case wrote about Johnson: "Governing isn't actually that hard, but this guy really makes it impossible." His verdict: "I've never seen a group of people less suited to running a country."
Some of the content is so drastic that the TV stations broadcasting the program permanently display a warning: "potentially offensive language". Cummings, for example, once insulted the cabinet as "useless fucking pigs". And that's at the lower end of the insults. The chats point to a culture of deceit and contempt in the seat of government, commented Sky News.
"Corona is nature's way of dealing with old people" - Johnson is reported to have said
Johnson outwardly dismissed the criticism. Everyone was under stress and only wanted the best. People are more critical and clearer. Debates under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were certainly "pretty juicy". That was much better than having only respectful people around him.
But some of Johnson's comments are also likely to raise questions. In the fall of 2020, for example, the then prime minister is said to have said that he would rather "let the bodies pile up" than announce a new lockdown - which he did soon afterwards. According to former advisor Vallance, Johnson said another time that "corona is nature's way of dealing with old people". They should accept their fate.
Questions on this are expected later in the questioning, with a total of two days scheduled for Johnson's testimony. In particular, relatives of the 227,000 people who died from Covid-19 in the UK according to death certificates will be listening closely. "A country will watch and wait: for scrutiny, accountability and answers," commented the BBC.
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Source: www.stern.de
