The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris JohnsonIt has been shown “deeply regretful“for “the pain, loss and suffering” that the COVID-19 pandemic what it meant for the victims of the virus and their families, in a long-awaited appearance before the commission investigating the political management of this emergency, for which the former ‘premier’ has assumed full responsibility.

The commission is presented as a tool to improve the response in future situations – it is not called upon to point out culprits or clarify responsibilities – but in all the interventions it overlooks Johnson’s own management, who in the early stages of the pandemic underestimated the importance of the virus and was admitted to intensive care after becoming infected.

“I hope that this investigation will help to obtain answers to the difficult questions that victims and their families legitimately raise and that we can better protect ourselves in the future,” Johnson said at the beginning of a series of statements that will last over two days. .

The former prime minister has assumed that “mistakes” could have been made in a health fight that he has described as “very, very difficult”, although he has defended that the Government did everything possible to make the best decisions. Yes, he wanted to make it clear that assumes “personal responsibility” for all of them.

Thus, he has stated, for example, that at first there were “strong warnings” that advised against applying a confinement of the population “too soon” and, regarding the supposed bad atmosphere in Downing Street, he has denied having any knowledge of this supposed discomfort, but he did. who has pointed out that “it would have been better” if there had been greater gender parity since “in too many meetings there were majority of men“.

The session has not been without controversy, since the head of the commission, Heather Hallett, has called for order and expelled four people when Johnson had barely begun his speech, according to BBC public radio and television. Although the official images have not shown the moment, a banner could already be seen outside that reads: “The dead can’t hear your apologies“.