Boris Johnson overwhelmed by memories of intensive care at Covid-19 inquiry session

Former British prime minister refutes allegations of a 'let it rip' strategy on virus

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson gives evidence at the Covid-19 inquiry in London. Reuters

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson visibly struggled to hold back tears as he recounted his personal battle with Covid-19 and his time in intensive care as he gave evidence for a second day at an inquiry into the UK government's handling of the pandemic.

He complained of “absolutely absurd” characterisations of the Partygate scandal around Downing Street rule-breaking as he defended his handling of the latter stages of the pandemic.

He insisted on Thursday that he was not “reconciled” to Covid deaths nor thought it wise to “let the virus rip” rather than impose a second lockdown in the autumn of 2020.

Mr Johnson shared his harrowing experience in intensive care in April of that year, observing how the illness affected not just the elderly but also middle-aged people like himself.

At one stage, he appeared to become emotional as he talked about being admitted to intensive care, and expressed deep gratitude towards the NHS.

His personal encounter with the disease, he stressed, left him with no doubts about its severity and the extent of suffering it caused nationwide.

In response to suggestions that he was indifferent to the public's suffering, Mr Johnson said: “To say that I didn’t care about the suffering that was being inflicted on the country is simply not right.”

However, the inquiry's lead counsel, Hugo Keith KC, clarified that the issue was not about Mr Johnson's concern for the suffering but rather about his perceived indifference to the public's reaction to the behaviour of those in Downing Street.

Mr Johnson dismissed characterisations of his administration's handling of the pandemic, particularly in the latter stages, as “absolutely absurd”.

Boris Johnson's time as British Prime Minister – in pictures

Boris Johnson became UK prime minister in July 2019, left, and resigned three years later in July 2022, right. Here 'The National' looks back at his colourful time as leader of the country. Getty Images / Reuters

Boris Johnson reads a statement outside 10 Downing Street, formally resigning as Conservative Party leader. PA

Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson attend the National Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth at St Paul's Cathedral in June 2022. Getty Images

Boris Johnson addresses the media after surviving a confidence vote in his leadership, in June 2022. PA

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, announcing that Mr Johnson had survived a confidence vote in his leadership at the Houses of Parliament in June. PA

Mr Johnson chats with residents in a Diamond Jubilee-themed room as he makes a constituency visit to Sweetcroft care home in Uxbridge, in May 2022. Getty Images

Boris Johnson reads the findings of the Sue Gray report into gatherings on government premises while Covid-19 restrictions were in place, in his office in No 10, Downing Street in May 2022. Photo: Downing Street

An image of a gathering in the Cabinet Room in No 10, Downing Street in June 2020 on the prime minister's birthday was released alongside the Sue Gray report. Photo: Cabinet Office

Boris Johnson with a Mark 3 shoulder launch missile system at Thales weapons manufacturer during a visit to Northern Ireland for talks, in May 2022 in Belfast. Getty Images

Mr Johnson having a turban placed on his head at Gujarat Bio Technology University, during his two-day trip to India in April. Getty Images

Mr Johnson after apologising to MPs for the 'partygate' fine he had received, in the House of Commons in April. AFP

Mr Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walking in central Kyiv, in April. AFP

Mr Johnson arrives for a media interview at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, in March 2022. Getty Images

Mr Johnson speaks with officers as he makes a constituency visit to Uxbridge police station in December 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson observes an early morning Merseyside Police raid on a home in Liverpool as part of 'Operation Toxic' to infiltrate county lines drug dealings in December 2021. Getty Images

Boris Johnson during a visit to Westport Care Home in Stepney Green, ahead of unveiling his long-awaited plan to fix the social care system, in September 2021. Getty Images

Prince Charles looks on as Boris Johnson attempts to open his umbrella at the National Memorial Arboretum in Stafford, in July 2021. Getty Images

President of the European Council Charles Michel, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Mr Johnson and Italian PM Mario Draghi pose for the leaders' official photo during the G7 summit in Cornwall, in June 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson poses with his wife Carrie in the garden of No 10, Downing Street following their wedding at Westminster Cathedral, in May 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson visits Hartlepool after the Conservative Party candidate Jill Mortimer won the Hartlepool by-election in May 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson receives his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, in March 2021. Getty Images

Mr Johnson smiles during a televised press conference at No 10, Downing Street in February 2021, as he announces a phased exit from the country's lockdown measures. Getty Images

Mr Johnson gives a thumbs-up gesture after signing the Brexit trade deal with the EU in No 10, Downing Street, in December 2020. Getty Images

Mr Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet for a dinner to try to reach a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal, in December 2020 in Brussels. Getty Images

Mr Johnson with a vial of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 candidate vaccine, known as AZD1222, at Wockhardt's pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, in November 2020, in Wrexham, Wales. Getty Images

Mr Johnson drills during his visit to Exeter College in September 2020. Getty Images

Mr Johnson holds crabs caught on the Carvela at Stromness Harbour in July 2020, during a visit to Scotland. Getty Images

Mr Johnson holds a painting of a ladybird during a visit to The Discovery School in West Malling, in July 2020. Getty Images

Mr Johnson and his fiancée Carrie Symonds applaud for key workers outside No 10, Downing Street, in May 2020. Getty Images

Boris Johnson appears on monitors for a meeting in London. The prime minister chaired the morning update meeting remotely as he was self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19. Reuters

Boris Johnson makes a televised address to the nation from inside No 10, Downing Street, with the latest instructions to stay at home to help contain the Covid-19 pandemic, in March 2020. AFP

Mr Johnson attends the launch of the UK-hosted COP26 Summit at the Science Museum in London, in February 2020. Getty Images

Mr Johnson is greeted by staff at No 10, Downing Street, after meeting Queen Elizabeth II and accepting her invitation to form a new government in December 2019. PA

Mr Johnson and his partner Carrie enter Downing Street as the Conservatives celebrate a sweeping election victory in December 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson drives a digger with the words 'Get Brexit Done' inside the digger bucket through a fake wall emblazoned with the word 'GRIDLOCK', during a general election campaign event in December 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson eats pie on the campaign bus in Derby, on the final day of campaigning before the general election in December 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson takes a turn in goal during the warm up before a girls' football match between Hazel Grove United JFC and Poynton Juniors in December 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson poses with workers as he is given a tour of Wilton Engineering Services as part of an election campaign trail stop in November 2019, in Middlesbrough. Getty Images

Mr Johnson poses for a photo wearing boxing gloves during a stop on his general election campaign trail in Manchester, in November 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson eats a rock sweet which reads 'Back Boris' during a general election campaign trail stop in Blackpool, in November 2019. Getty Images

Mr Johnson leads a bull around a pen as he visits Darnford Farm near Aberdeen, Scotland, in September 2019. Getty Images

Former US president Donald Trump and Mr Johnson arrive for a bilateral meeting during the G7 summit in August 2019, in Biarritz, France. Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth welcomes Mr Johnson as the newly elected leader of the Conservative party and invites him to become prime minister and form a new government, at Buckingham Palace in July 2019. Getty Images

A significant portion of his two days at the inquiry revolved around events leading up to the second national lockdown and the subsequent public reaction to the revelations of rule-breaking within Downing Street, which became known as Partygate.

The scandal, which exposed lockdown-breaching parties at Number 10, ultimately culminated in Mr Johnson's resignation from high office and his later decision to step down as a Member of Parliament.

During the inquiry session, Mr Johnson was confronted with a WhatsApp message dated December 17, 2021, in which he advised the then-Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, to reflect on the conduct within Number 10, notably mentioning Lee Cain, a key adviser.

Despite acknowledging the need for introspection, Mr Johnson emphasised the importance of moving forward.

Mr Johnson also took the opportunity to criticise the media's portrayal of Partygate, arguing that the dramatised representations were far removed from actual events inside Number 10.

Boris Johnson makes 'wholehearted apology' for Partygate – in pictures

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologises to MPs at the House of Commons in London, having been fined after a police probe for attending a party during coronavirus lockdowns imposed by his own government. AFP

The prime minister was no more than 30 seconds into his speech when the first shout of 'resign' was heard from the opposition benches, followed by 'you’re an embarrassment' and 'just go'. Reuters

'I take this opportunity on the first available sitting day to repeat my wholehearted apology to the House,' he said, admitting that 'people had a right to expect better of their prime minister'. AFP

Members of the media gather on Downing Street after police in London issued 50 fines in relation to parties and gatherings held at government buildings during Covid lockdowns. Getty Images

The prime minister, pictured with a birthday cake baked for him by school staff at Bovingdon Primary Academy in Hemel Hempstead, said it ‘didn't occur’ to him that a gathering on June 19, 2020 to mark his 56th birthday broke coronavirus rules. AFP

Chancellor Rishi Sunak (L) was also fined for attending lockdown parties held in and around Downing Street. AFP

Mr Johnson is the first sitting prime minister to be censured for breaking the law, sparking calls from all sides of Parliament, including some in his own party, to step down. Reuters

A lone protester demonstrates outside No 10 Downing Street in London. EPA

Before the war broke out in Ukraine, Mr Johnson appeared vulnerable to the partygate controversy. He has been praised for his response to the conflict, which may offer him some protection from critics, and he visited Kyiv last weekend in what he called a show of support for the country. AFP

Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie applaud for key health workers outside No 10 Downing Street in May 2020. Getty Images

Boris Johnson makes a statement in the House of Commons in January, on Sue Gray's report regarding the alleged Downing Street parties during lockdown. Reuters

A journalist highlights sections of the report by civil servant Sue Gray into parties held at Downing Street. AFP

Mr Johnson is understood to have been present at six of at least 12 events being investigated. One occurred on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, at which Queen Elizabeth II had to grieve away from other mourners because of social distancing protocols. Getty Images

He defended the civil servants and advisers, claiming that the portrayal of their actions was a gross misrepresentation of the truth.

Mr Johnson strongly refuted the suggestion that he endorsed a “let it rip” strategy and, while acknowledging that such notions were discussed, said they never shaped the government's policy.

The former prime minister insisted that the actions and statements made during his tenure did not align with a passive acceptance of fatalities nor an inclination to allow the virus to spread uncontrolled.

In his testimony, Mr Johnson also highlighted the government's swift move to a national lockdown during the first wave, followed by a regional approach, and then another lockdown at the end of October 2020.

He emphasised that these actions were indicative of a government fully engaged in mitigating the crisis and not one resigned to let the virus run its course.