Boris Johnson: I'm sorry for pain and loss during pandemic
Boris Johnson has apologised for the "pain and loss and suffering" of the victims and their families during the Covid-19 pandemic. Four people were removed from the hearing as the former prime minister gave his opening remarks. They said they stood up as he began apologising to hold up signs that read: "The Dead can't hear your apologies." Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Transcript
00:00 I swear by almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the
00:07 truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
00:16 Could you commence your evidence, please, by giving us your full name?
00:21 Alexander Boris de Pfeffel-Johnson. Thank you, Mr Johnson. Thank you for
00:26 attending today and for the provision of your witness statement, 255836.
00:34 It's dated the 31st of August, as you know, and it contains the usual declaration as to
00:39 the truth of its contents on the final page, I think page 233.
00:49 Mr Johnson, you were, of course, Prime Minister between the 24th of July 2019,
01:00 when you were invited to form an administration following the resignation of Theresa May,
01:06 MP as leader of the Conservative Party, and the 6th of September 2022,
01:14 you having announced your resignation earlier that year on the 7th of July.
01:18 Is that correct? Yes, it is, Mr Keith.
01:22 By your leave, can I just say how glad I am to be at this inquiry and how sorry I am for the pain
01:34 and the loss and the suffering of the Covid victims.
01:39 Please sit down. Please sit down or I'm afraid you'll have to leave the hearing room.
01:48 I'm sorry, if you don't sit down, I'm going to ask the ushers to get you to leave.
01:54 Right, ushers, please, could you ask them to leave?
01:56 I understand the feelings of these victims and their families, and I am deeply sorry for the pain
02:02 and the loss and the suffering of those victims and their families.
02:09 And grateful though I am to the hundreds of thousands of health care workers and many other public servants,
02:20 people in all walks of life who helped to protect our country throughout a dreadful pandemic.
02:27 I do hope that this inquiry will help to get the answers to the very difficult questions that those victims
02:38 and those families are rightly asking, so that we can protect ourselves better,
02:43 help each other to help protect ourselves better in the future.