Record offer, PA Media
By Kate Whannel
Political reporter, BBC News
Boris Johnson “wanted to be injected with Covid-19 on television” to calm public fears, an ex-aide has acknowledged.
The claim – by Lord Lister – got right here in a peep statement to the Covid inquiry.
He acknowledged Mr Johnson “suggested to senior civil servants and advisers that he wanted to be injected with Covid-19 on television to demonstrate to the final public that it did now not pose a threat”.
It turned into once “at a time when Covid turned into once no longer viewed as being the phenomenal disease it therefore became”, he added.
He acknowledged it turned into once an “wretched comment” that had been “made in the heat of the moment”.
He additionally confirmed his previous boss had acknowledged letting “the bodies pile excessive” turned into once preferable to one other lockdown.
The comment turned into once made in September 2020 but first reported in April 2021,
At the time, Mr Johnson brushed off the story, calling it “total rubbish”.
Lord Edward Udny-Lister acknowledged the comment turned into once made at a time when the govt. turned into once “attempting to steer sure of a additional lockdown given the already excessive impression on the economy and education”.
On Tuesday, the Covid inquiry turned into once additionally shown messages by which the top of the civil provider Simon Case acknowledged of his Downing Avenue colleagues: “These of us are so infected… they’re handsome so madly self-defeating. I’ve by no method viewed a bunch of of us less wisely-equipped to flee the country.”
And entries from the 2020 diaries of Sir Patrick Vallance published that the then-chief scientific marketing consultant felt Mr Johnson turned into once “in every single place” on the divulge of implementing a second lockdown.
Lord Lister is a long-time ally of Mr Johnson, having worked with him for the duration of his time as mayor of London and high minister.
In his evidence session to the Covid inquiry, which lasted over two hours, Lord Lister turned into once requested about the environment in the Downing Avenue operation.
Closing week, Helen MacNamara, a senior civil servant for the duration of the Covid pandemic, acknowledged there had been a “macho” tradition and that a “toxic” environment had affected decision-making.
Lord Lister acknowledged: “I judge there turned into once relatively quite loads of tension that turned into once taking position” together with that Dominic Cummings, one other senior adviser in Downing Avenue, turned into once “no longer a straightforward man to deal with”.
Opportunistic?
Later in the session, Lord Lister turned into once requested about the UK govt’s relationship with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales for the duration of the pandemic.
He acknowledged there had been “a huge deal of mistrust and frustration” towards the Scottish govt.
“It gave the impression to us in Downing Avenue, it did now not topic what the decision turned into once, Scotland would want to fabricate issues a runt otherwise.”
Requested if he felt the Scottish govt turned into once being “opportunistic”, Lord Lister acknowledged “I judge that might per chance well additionally be a honest word”.
He later added that Mr Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon, who turned into once Scotland’s first minister for the duration of the pandemic, “in total did now not like every diverse very mighty”.
Questioned on the second lockdown, introduced in November 2020, Lord Lister suggested it will per chance well additionally own been averted if the tier design had been given additional time to work.
Beneath the tier design, areas the place topic to diverse restrictions depending on the incidence of the disease. It turned into once indubitably made redundant spherical a month after being introduced, when Mr Johnson applied a second national lockdown.
Lord Lister acknowledged the tier design turned into once “messy however the handsome thing to fabricate” together with: “If we saved going I believe it will per chance well own worked.”
‘Whisky and revolver’
Earlier in the day, the Covid inquiry had viewed additional extracts from a diary written in October 2020 by the govt.’s then chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.
The level to says Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak, who turned into once chancellor on the time, had been each and every “clutching at straws” while attempting to argue against a second lockdown in October 2020.
Sir Patrick describes a gathering on 8 October as, “very immoral”.
After being shown the final scamper in a presentation by the Covid-19 Taskforce, Sir Patrick wrote that Mr Johnson responded, “Whisky and revolver.”
“He turned into once in every single place”, Sir Patrick says, together with that Mr Sunak turned into once the usage of “extra and extra explicit and pretend arguments against closing hospitality”.
In one other diary entry from 25 October, Sir Patrick says Mr Johnson “owns the actuality for a day after which is buffeted by a discussion with [the chancellor].”
Simon Ridley, previous Head of the Cabinet Place of work Covid taskforce additionally gave evidence to the inquiry on Tuesday.