During the Covid inquiry, Michael Gove, a former Cabinet Office minister, disputed claims that Boris Johnson was “incapable of making decisions” about lockdowns during the pandemic. Gove said that introducing a lockdown was “difficult” for Johnson because it went against his “political outlook”. However, he admitted that lockdowns came too late both in March and November 2020. Gove also apologised to victims and bereaved families for the government’s “mistakes” during the pandemic. He took personal responsibility as a senior minister who was “close to many of the decisions that were made.”
As part of the government’s response to the pandemic, Gove was part of a core team of key decision makers in 2020 along with Johnson, former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and Rishi Sunak. Gove’s admission to errors and his own personal responsibility at the time was a significant moment in the inquiry, as well as his apology to bereaved families. He said that politicians are “human beings” who are “fallible,” and “every decision was difficult and every course was bad” at the time.
Gove said that the UK was not well enough prepared for the pandemic, testing should have been better planned, and there were errors with PPE procurement. He also acknowledged that there was not enough focus on the impact on children. In a foul-mouthed WhatsApp exchange with Dominic Cummings at the beginning of the pandemic, Gove said the government was “missing golden opportunities” to act. He said that at the time, he was concerned about the “ability and structure” of the Cabinet Office to deliver government’s priorities.
Former deputy chief medical officer Professor Dame Jenny Harries also gave evidence after Gove. She was asked about comments she made at a Downing Street press conference in April 2020 when she said the UK was a “very highly prepared” for the pandemic. She said the claim felt wrong “in retrospect” and had been based on an “external objective assessment.” The inquiry is taking evidence as part of its second module on core UK decision-making and political governance
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