Boris Johnson recalls time in intensive care as he brands partygate portrayals 'absurd'
07.12.2023 - 19:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson fought back tears as he recalled his time in hospital with Covid-19. He also dismissed accusations that he was indifferent to the country's suffering during the crisis.
Mr Johnson faced questions about rule-breaking at Downing Street during the pandemic, now known as 'partygate'. He was shown a WhatsApp conversation between himself and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, which inquiry counsel Hugo Keith said was sent "around that time of the revelation of the partying in Downing Street".
In the message, dated 17th December 2021, Mr Johnson wrote: "In retrospect we all should have told people above all Lee Cain to think about their behaviour in number ten and how it would look. But now we must smash on."
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Mr Keith suggested to Mr Johnson "you knew how it would look but you didn't care that much". However, Mr Johnson refuted this, stating: "I did care. To say that I didn't care about what was happening generally, is the complete opposite of the truth.
"And yes, I think that we could have done more in Number 10 to insist that people thought about the way their behaviour would be perceived by others.
"I made this point repeatedly to the various inquiries that have been held already into this matter. We should have thought about what it would look like to have people out in the garden when other people were not allowed in the garden even though the garden was being used as a place of work."
He also claimed that the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has "dwelt particularly on