Covid inquiry row erupts as Boris Johnson hits back at former minister’s school closure claim

In his long-awaited evidence to the Covid inquiry, Boris Johnson has lashed out at his former Education Minister Gavin Williamson, saying that he would “respectfully” disagree with Mr Williamson’s assessment in his evidence.

Mr Williamson told the inquiry that he believed schools were closed in January 2021 not because it would have a significant impact on infection rates, but because the Government had to be seen to using all the levers at its disposal.

Mr Johnson rejected that characterisation, arguing that the numbers were “very difficult to argue with”, and that although “closing schools was the last thing [he] wanted to do” it had to be done.

This comes as the Covid inquiry investigates the catastrophic impact of school closures on children.

Clair Dobbin KC, counsel to the inquiry, said at the start of this section of the inquiry that the closures sent absence rates spiralling, meant children were exposed to violent pornography and resulted in some pupils playing video games for up to 19 hours a day.

Last month it was revealed that a Department for Education (DfE) memo produced five days before schools were closed in March 2020 warned that remote learning “would not work for all” and that the schooling of up to nine million pupils “could not be guaranteed”.

At the inquiry yesterday, England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty also suggested that the impact of the restrictions of children playing outdoors was unnecessarily damaging.

He said: 'The bit of the restrictions which, at the time I thought we should have been more liberal if I'm honest, was the amount of time that people could spend outside.

"I think, I couldn't see the logic of that from an infection control point of view, to be honest.

"It almost happened by accident and that I think probably is something we should have looked at, and for children in particular, I think that's very important. It's important for everyone."

Despite this frank assessment of the consequences of lockdown on children, critics of the inquiry argue that rather than addressing the fundamental question of whether or not schools should have closed at all, the inquiry has become bogged down in detail about whether enough planning went into the closure of schools.

The thrust of the questions directed at both Mr Williamson last week and Mr Johnson today have been about whether the Government sufficiently briefed parents and children on the issue of school closures – Mr Johnson, for instance, was asked today about the lack of press conferences for children – seeming to sidestep the question of whether schools should have closed at all.

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The inquiry is on track to cost more than £200 million, although some say half a billion is more realistic, with £55 million set to be spent on up to 150 lawyers.

The inquiry, led by Baroness Heather Hallett, is examining several modules of the UK’s pandemic response — from preparedness and decision-making to vaccination, testing, and the wider social impact.

Its first report found that the UK entered the crisis under-prepared, with serious gaps in planning and infrastructure.

Ahead lies a major challenge: to identify what went wrong and ensure that lessons are turned into meaningful reforms.

Bereaved families and those affected by long-term illness are watching closely for accountability and recognition of their experiences.

With its scope covering health, social care, procurement, and education, the inquiry is expected to take several years to conclude.