Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Boris Johnson begins second day of evidence at Covid inquiry

Boris Johnson has kicked off his second day of evidence at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Dominic McGrath
Thursday 07 December 2023 10:17 GMT
Boris Johnson giving evidence at Dorland House for a second day (UK Covid-19 Inquiry)
Boris Johnson giving evidence at Dorland House for a second day (UK Covid-19 Inquiry) (PA Media)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Boris Johnson has kicked off his second day of evidence at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

The former prime minister on Wednesday admitted he should have “twigged much sooner” about the threat posed by Covid-19 in the early days of the pandemic, but he also sought to defend his administration from claims of a toxicity and dysfunction.

Relatives of Covid-19 victims gathered again outside the inquiry building at Dorland House in west London. Mr Johnson on Wednesday apologised for “the pain and the loss and the suffering” of its victims.

In a full day of evidence that focused on the early stages of the pandemic and the decision to introduce the first lockdown, Mr Johnson also defended the under-fire former health secretary Matt Hancock.

His final day of evidence is expected to focus on the later stages of the pandemic and the decision to apply a second lockdown.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was chancellor during the pandemic, will give evidence to the inquiry on Monday.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in