Boris Johnson on verge of tears as he tells UK covid inquiry 2020 was a 'tragic, tragic' year

Former prime minister Boris Johnson giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry (UK Covid-19 Inquiry/PA)

Boris Johnson has admitted his government “underestimated” the threat posed by the coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic, as he apologised to the victims at the UK covid-19 inquiry.

The former British prime minister said that at the start of 2020, coronavirus “wasn’t really escalated to me as an issue of national concern” as the data emerging from China was misunderstood.