Boris Johnson refuses to apologise for ‘gross incompetence’ leading to restrictions

Boris Johnson has refused to apologise for the government’s “gross incompetence” as the prime minister announced new restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Speaking in the Commons, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Edward Davey, asked the prime minister to apologise for its failures in the Test & Trace system and its lack of clear communication.

He said: "There was one major omission from the prime minister’s statement: an apology.

“So will the government now apologise for gross incompetence over testing, over tracing, over clear communications that have led to these latest restrictions on people’s daily lives?”

The prime minister avoided addressing Mr Davey’s question by talking about the government’s plan to keep the economy going while suppressing the spread of the virus.

After asking the prime minister to apologise, Mr Davey asked how the government would support those who could imminently lose their jobs and businesses.

Mr Johnson replied by saying the plan was to “continue to keep the economy moving" while suppressing the R number, or rate of infection, through the government’s newly announced restrictions.

He asked: “That is our policy, does he support it?”

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