In a second lengthy and sometimes difficult day of testimony to the Covid inquiry, the former prime minister also prompted anger by calling media coverage and TV adaptations of the No 10 parties "absurd" and "a travesty of the truth".
Johnson was also challenged about his attitude to older people and his suggestions they were "going to die anyway". He insisted he was simply trying to generate debate and make officials feel they could speak freely.
Asked about the parties, which led to 126 fixed-penalty notices being issued over breaches of Covid rules in Whitehall and Downing Street, Johnson - who will be followed at the inquiry by Rishi Sunak on Monday said that while he was sorry for this, his staff had been unfairly maligned.
"The version of events that has entered the popular consciousness about what is supposed to have happened in Downing Street is a million miles from the reality of what actually happened," he told Hugo Keith KC, the lead counsel to the inquiry.
この記事は The Guardian の December 08, 2023 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は The Guardian の December 08, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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