Boris poised to defend Covid lockdown record

BORIS Johnson will face down his critics at the Covid Inquiry this week and tell them that he got the “big calls right”, sources say.

- Jonathan Walker

He will point to Britain’s unrivalled success in delivering vaccines and say he got the country out of lockdown faster than any other leader could have managed.

The former PM will finally get the chance to defend his handling of the crisis when he gives evidence on Wednesday and Thursday.

While issuing a staunch defence of his actions, Mr Johnson is also set to offer an apology and admit that he “unquestionably made mistakes” in the early stages of the pandemic.

A source close to the ex-PM told the Sunday Express that his leadership meant the UK delivered the fastest vaccine programme in Europe and became the first country in the world to put a vaccine in someone’s arm. They said: “Boris made the big calls and got us out of lockdown faster than any European country.

With different leadership we would have been in lockdown longer.