Watch again as former health secretary Matt Hancock gives evidence at Britain’s Covid inquiry on Friday 2 December.
Mr Hancock refuted claims made by Boris Johnson’s former top adviser Dominic Cummings that he had “lied his way through the pandemic” and “killed people”, during Thursday’s hearing.
The former health secretary attacked Mr Cummings as a “malign actor” in No 10 who had fostered a “culture of fear” across government.
He denied being a liar – a charge levelled at him at various stages of the inquiry – instead blaming the allegations on Mr Cummings creating a “toxic culture” in which ministers and officials sought to blame each other for mistakes.
Mr Hancock said “many, many lives” would have been saved if the UK had gone into the first lockdown three weeks before Mr Johnson announced it.
