LONDON – Boris Johnson apologized on Wednesday for “the pain, loss and suffering” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as he began testifying at a public inquiry into his government’s handling of the health crisis.

The former prime minister, who faced a barrage of criticism from former advisers over his alleged indecision and lack of scientific understanding during the pandemic, faces two days in the witness box.

Johnson, who was forced out of office last year over lockdown-breaking parties held in Downing Street during the pandemic, admitted mistakes had “undoubtedly” been made.

“I understand the feelings of the victims and their families and I am deeply sorry for the pain, loss and suffering of these victims and their families,” Johnson said.

Johnson, 59, was briefly interrupted when a protester was ejected from the examination room after refusing to sit during the apology.

“We inevitably got some things wrong,” Johnson continued, before adding that “we did the best we could” and that he took personal responsibility for the decisions made.

The former prime minister had arrived about three hours early for the proceedings, with some suspecting he was keen to avoid the relatives of COVID survivors who gathered outside later that morning.

As of mid-July 2021, almost 130,000 people had died from COVID in the UK, one of the highest official per capita figures among Western countries.

Johnson will insist that the decisions he made ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives, the Times newspaper reported, citing a lengthy written statement to be released later on Wednesday.

‘BAMBOOLED’

The Times said he would argue he had a “fundamental confidence that things would turn out well” based on the “fallacious logic” that previous health scares had not proved as catastrophic as feared.

However, he is expected to say that overall the government has managed to achieve its key aim of preventing the national health service from being overwhelmed by making the “right decisions at the right time”.

He will also say that while the country’s death toll was high, it exceeded most of the direst predictions and “ended the pandemic far down the global excess mortality rankings.”

According to The Times, Johnson, who resigned amid, among other things, revelations about lockdown-breaking Downing Street parties, examined 6,000 pages of evidence and spoke for hours with lawyers.

He is expected to be questioned about whether he believes the government was initially complacent about the pandemic, despite evidence that a more proactive approach is needed.

He also needs to justify his timing of the first UK lockdown on March 23, 2020, as some senior ministers, officials and scientific advisers now believe it was too late.

Johnson, who was hospitalized in intensive care for COVID at the start of the pandemic, is expected to say the country’s lockdown went against all his personal and political instincts.

‘LOW POINT’

But he had no choice because “ancient and sacred freedoms were at odds with the health of the community.”

Johnson’s understanding of expert advice is likely to come under scrutiny after his former chief scientific officer, Patrick Vallance, said the former prime minister was often “overwhelmed” by data.

Comments could also be made about lockdowns and the death toll, including the claim that Johnson suggested older people could die because they had “had a good innings”.

Johnson has dismissed claims he would rather “let the bodies pile up” than impose another lockdown.

Johnson’s former top adviser Dominic Cummings and communications chief Lee Cain both criticized their ex-boss when they gave evidence at the inquiry.

Cummings said a “low point” was when Johnson circulated a video to his scientific advisers that showed “a man blowing a special hairdryer up his nose to kill COVID.”

Cain said COVID was the “wrong crisis” for Johnson’s skills, adding that he was “exhausted” by his alleged indecision and vacillation in dealing with the crisis.

“He is someone who often delays making decisions, often seeks advice from multiple sources and changes his mind on certain issues,” Cain said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was Johnson’s finance minister during the pandemic, is due to be questioned at the inquiry in the coming weeks.