Thursday briefing: What Boris Johnson did – and did not – reveal at his Covid inquiry grilling

In today’s newsletter: The former prime minister attempted to shape his legacy during hours of intense questioning. Pippa Crerar explains key takeaways from his testimony

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Good morning.

For about six hours yesterday, Boris Johnson finally had a chance to defend his record against the blistering criticism levelled against him over the course of the Covid inquiry since it started in June 2022. Evidence handed over to the inquiry has revealed that senior figures in his administration had significant doubts about Johnson’s ability to lead and govern, creating an image of chaos, disorganisation and dysfunction during an unprecedented global health crisis.

Robert Jenrick | Rishi Sunak’s government was plunged into crisis after his immigration minister quit just hours after the prime minister tabled a bill to save his Rwanda deportation policy. Robert Jenrick said the bill was “a triumph of hope over experience” and would mean that the policy will be challenged again in the courts.

Israel-Hamas war | UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said that he expects “public order to completely break down” in Gaza amid Israel’s continuing bombardment, “rendering even limited humanitarian assistance impossible.”

Hillsborough disaster | Ministers have rejected the “Hillsborough law” reforms that are central to a campaign by families of the 97 people killed in the 1989 disaster to prevent future police cover-ups. Instead the government has signed a “charter” that states a commitment by departments to openness and transparency after public tragedies.

Cop28 | The head of the International Monetary Fund has said that carbon pricing, a way to put an implicit price on carbon emissions, would generate the vast amounts of cash needed to tackle the climate crisis. It is a traditionally unpopular policy as in practice it can hit poorer people hardest if it is badly applied.

Energy | A “toxic culture” of bullying, sexual harassment and drug-taking risks compromising the safety of Europe’s most hazardous nuclear site, multiple employees at Sellafield have claimed.