families' heartbreak
Emotional Kate Garraway reflects on ‘how different things could be for Derek’ after Dominic Cummings’ bombshell claims
KATE Garraway looked emotional as she reflected on "how different things could be" for her husband Derek Draper after Dominic Cummings' bombshell claims.
Boris Johnson's former aide told a Covid inquiry the Prime Minister was unfit for office and claimed his dithering killed thousands.
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Derek became locked in a coma after his body was ravaged by coronavirus back in March 2020.
Lifting the lid on pandemic chaos at the heart of No10 last year, Mr Cummings alleged “there wasn’t even a plan to bury all the bodies”.
Yesterday, he spoke of the PM’s lockdown scepticism, planning chaos, internal fights and paralysis — claiming the country was let down as “lions were led by donkeys again and again”.
Asked by Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid how she felt in light of the allegations, Kate admitted: "I spend a lot of time reflecting on how things might have been different, in lots of ways.
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"Both in the government's handling of it, the scientific advice and the doctors' advice specifically to Derek.
"It was definitely confused wasn't it? I think hindsight is a wonderful thing but it doesn't mean we shouldn't address what went wrong.
"Obviously there were things that could have helped.
"Just as there were doctors who said we could have given this medication at this point, we now know it would have definitely helped, but at the time we feared it might have killed him.
"I am quite generous to the government generally that they were looking at a situation and thinking 'what is going to be the most harmful'.
"If, as Cummings said, Boris Johnson was more obsessed with the economy maybe he genuinely believed that was the biggest risk.
"It doesn't mean to say that things like planning for a pandemic and lockdown.. that should have been something that was in place."
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Later in the show, Kate was given time to grill Robert Jenrick MP about why the public inquiry has not been brought forward.
"Your government has been accused of tens of thousands of lives being lost unnecessarily," Kate said.
"I think some people will think it's about incompetence, others will think not enough caring.
"I have spoken to Boris Johnson during this time and think he cares. I think you care and I think Matt Hancock cares.
"The problem is you have a trust problem and you have to do something about it or more lives will be lost.
"No one knows whether to believe your advice now or whether you're just saying it to save your own jobs or if it's the right advice.
"If Boris Johnson waits for the public inquiry next year I think your government has got a big problem.
"I can accept the fact no one knew what was going on and mistakes will have been made, but not being able to admit those mistakes until now I think is a problem and he has to address it - and quickly."
Insisting it was right for the inquiry not to go forward until next year, the Secretary of State replied: "We've tried to be as open as we can be and the Prime Minister was doing almost daily press conferences except when he himself was very ill in hospital."
Kate cut in adding: "But now those press conferences have been accused of having wrong information in them and of him being irresponsible about them.
"They're kind of meaningless now. He has to come out and clarify. He can't wait for next year."
Host Susanna Reid added: "You've heard it there, directly from someone whose life has been turned upside down by Covid. Hold the public inquiry now, trust has been lost by the government and frankly it is hard to know who to believe."
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Mr Cummings spoke out to MPs during an astonishing seven-hour evidence session.
He told a Commons committee: “When the public needed us most, the Government failed.”
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He savaged Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who he claimed should have been sacked for lying to the PM that the elderly would be tested before they were released from hospitals into care homes in the early days of the virus.
Last night, both Mr Johnson and Mr Hancock rejected Mr Cummings’ version of events as Westminster reeled from the unprecedented broadside.
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