UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended the government's decision to implement tiered lockdowns and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme during the Covid Inquiry in West London. Despite acknowledging that the tier system "did not work," Johnson argued for a regional approach instead of a national circuit breaker lockdown. He stated that a single circuit breaker may not have been sufficient and could have resulted in a continuous cycle of lockdowns. Johnson emphasized the importance of respecting and reflecting the geography of the outbreak.
Tiers Were Effective Before Alpha Variant Emerged
Johnson maintained that the tiered lockdown system was effective until the emergence of the alpha variant, which disrupted the entire system. While admitting that the disease was diversely spread across the country, he pointed out that there were parts of the UK where it was barely present. Johnson posed the question of whether the government should have continued with national measures throughout the country or implemented a regional approach to tackle the outbreak.
Boris Johnson Defends Eat Out to Help Out Scheme
Johnson also defended the government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme, stating that it was not a gamble at the time. He expressed his perplexity at the idea that Britain's chief scientist Sir Patrick Vallance and Sir Chris Whitty were unaware of the scheme. Johnson argued that he did not believe the scheme caused a spike in infections and that it was not presented to him as a risk to the budget. He mentioned being surprised when the controversy surrounding the scheme arose in September.
No Intention to Let Covid "Rip" Through the Population
Contrary to suggestions that he wanted to "let it (Covid) rip" through the population, Johnson firmly denied such claims. He referred to a diary extract from Sir Patrick in May 2021, which implied that Chancellor Rishi Sunak advocated for allowing the virus to spread. Johnson clarified that the conversations were misunderstood, and his position was always to prioritize saving human lives at all ages.
