Boris Johnson to undergo extensive questioning over two-day period at Covid inquiry

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face scrutiny and questioning at the Covid inquiry regarding his handling of the pandemic. It is expected that he will apologize for mistakes made by his government during this time. However, sources close to Johnson have stated that he will also argue that he made important decisions that ultimately saved lives. Various individuals who previously worked with Johnson, including his former director of communications Lee Cain, his former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, and his former chief adviser Dominic Cummings, have criticized his actions during the pandemic. Cummings specifically referred to Johnson as "the trolley" due to his tendency to flip-flop on issues. On the other hand, some key figures involved in the UK's pandemic response have defended Johnson and his leadership style. Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, denied claims that Johnson was unable to make decisions, stating that he preferred robust debates before making choices. Additionally, former health secretary Matt Hancock accused Cummings of attempting to seize power and creating a toxic work environment that hindered the pandemic response. Now, Johnson will have the opportunity to present his side of the story at the Covid inquiry. His spokesperson has confirmed that Johnson is eager to assist with the important work of the inquiry. Johnson has already submitted a 200-page written statement, but he has been unable to provide communications from a critical period between February and June 2020 due to a technical issue with accessing WhatsApp messages on an old phone. Johnson's team denies any deletion of messages and claims this technical problem is being addressed by the appropriate team.