Exclusive: I would have 'avoided all lockdowns', Jeremy Hunt tells GB News

Exclusive: I would have 'avoided all lockdowns', Jeremy Hunt tells GB News
21 May Hunt
Carl Bennett

By Carl Bennett


Published: 21/05/2022

- 17:27

Updated: 21/05/2022

- 17:28

The former Health Secretary said he wouldn’t have made the same mistakes as Boris Johnson

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has told GB News he wouldn't have had lockdowns in the first place.

Speaking to Esther McVey and Philip Davies about potentially running to be leader of the Conservative Party, the MP said would have handled the pandemic differently to Boris Johnson.


“I’m obviously a totally different person to Boris. I think everyone in the world is a totally different person to Boris. He’s such a unique person!

“Would I have done things differently during the pandemic if I had been prime minister and won that contest in 2019? For sure. Would I have made some of the mistakes that Boris made? I don’t think I would’ve because of my experience as health secretary. But I would’ve made different mistakes.

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was speaking to Esther McVey and Philip Davies
Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was speaking to Esther McVey and Philip Davies
GB News

“It’s impossible to go through something as extreme as a pandemic and get everything right.”

Esther McVey posed the question of whether Mr Hunt would have put the country in lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Paddington station in London, to mark the completion of London's Crossrail project.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Paddington station in London, to mark the completion of London's Crossrail project.
Andrew Matthews

“I actually thought we could have avoided all lockdowns if we had been much quicker and set up test and trace as they did in South Korea and Taiwan. Those two places actually didn’t have any lockdowns in 2020.

“That would’ve been my preferred route.”

The Prime Minister is facing scrutiny from the Labour Party, who are calling on Boris Johnson to “urgently explain” his meeting with Sue Gray on the so-called Partygate report.

It's understood the two have met at least once to discuss the report into covid-rule breaking parties while it was being drafted.

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner says people “deserve to know the truth”.

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