Boris Johnson Covid Inquiry LIVE: Ex-PM grilled over lockdowns and pandemic handling

Boris Johnson has said he “unquestionably” made mistakes during the pandemic, but insists he tried his “level best”.

“I think we were doing our best given what we knew, given the information I had available to me at the time, I think we did our level best,” the former PM told the Covid inquiry.

Pressed by inquiry counsel Hugo Keith KC what mistakes specifically he was talking about, Mr Johnson said: “So many people suffered, so many people inevitably lost their lives in the course of trying to handle a… pandemic in which we had to balance appalling harms.”

Responding to Boris Johnson’s apology at the Covid Inquiry, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Health & Social Care spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “This apology will ring hollow for the thousands of families who grieved while Boris Johnson partied then lied about it.

“If he wants his apology to be taken seriously, he should at least start by paying back the thousands of pounds of taxpayer-funded legal fees he racked up during the partygate inquiry.”

Boris Johnson lost 5,000 WhatsApp messages between January 2020 and June 2020, the Covid inquiry has heard.

The former prime minister had to replace his phone during the pandemic after his phone number was found left online.

Mr Johnson said “for the avoidance of doubt” that “I have not removed any WhatsApps from my phone”.

“I’ve given you everything that you need,” he said.

Asked whether he was behind a factory reset which was carried out on the phone, a puzzled Mr Johnson said: “A factory reset?”

The ex-PM said: “I can’t give you the technical information. But that’s the best I’m able to do.”

Covid inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett complained about the briefings ahead of Boris Johnson’s appearance, saying that leaks of the witness statement undermined the process.

She said: “I’d like to express my concern about reports in the press over the last few days of the contents of Mr Johnson’s witness statement to the inquiry and what his evidence will be.

“Until a witness is called and appears at a hearing, or the inquiry publishes the witness’s statement, it’s meant to be confidential between the witness, the inquiry and the core participants.

“And I wish to remind all those involved in the inquiry process that they must maintain this confidentiality so as to allow the sharing of materials prior to hearings between those most involved in the inquiry process.

“Failing to respect confidentiality undermines the inquiry’s ability to do its job fairly, effectively and independently.”

Boris Johnson’s apology to the nation has been interrupted by four people who staged a protest in the hearing room.

The protesters were ejected from the Covid-19 inquiry as the former prime minister was saying he was sorry “for the loss, pain and suffering”.

He said: “I am deeply sorry for the pain and the loss and suffering of those victims and their families and grateful that I am to the hundreds of 1000s of healthcare workers and many other public servants, people in all walks of life who help to protect our country, throat critical pandemic.”

“I do hope that this inquiry will help to get the answers to the very difficult questions that those victims and those families are rightly asking,” Mr Johnson added.

Boris Johnson is being grilled over the government’s response to the pandemic at the UK Covid Inquiry after he arrived three hours early to dodge protesters waiting outside.

The former prime minister has appeared at 10am today to face the first of two days of questioning over his handling of coronavirus.

The highly anticipated appearance by Mr Johnson is expected to see him admit that his government made mistakes in its response to the virus, but argue that its decisions ultimately saved lives.

Mr Johnson will also, according to reports, insist that he followed the advice of scientists and did not lock down the country more quickly because herd immunity was initially favoured.

Boris Johnson is “open” to admitting lockdown should have happened earlier, an ex-adviser has said.

Guto Harri told Sky News the science advice was “torn” in the early days of the pandemic.

Asked whether lockdown should have happened earlier, Mr Harri admitted that maybe this is right, and “Boris is open on that”.

Boris Johnson’s expected claim at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that he got the big decisions right during the pandemic would be a “grotesque distortion of the truth”, a lawyer for bereaved families has said.

Aamer Anwar, lead solicitor for the Scottish Covid Bereaved group, told a press conference ahead of the former prime minister’s evidence in west London: “Boris Johnson is expected to issue an apology this morning.

“Yet he will claim he saved thousands of lives.

“For many of the bereaved that will be a grotesque distortion of the truth.

“In Boris Johnson’s words, instead of solving a national crisis, his government presided over a total disgusting orgy of narcissism.

“He did let the bodies pile up and the elderly were treated as toxic waste.

“As a result, over a quarter of a million people died from Covid. They cannot speak for themselves but their families, the bereaved and all those impacted by Covid deserve the truth today.”