Sir Michael McBride was giving evidence to the Covid-19 Inquiry in Belfast.
Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer has denied straying into overtly political issues during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In discussion on the prospect of the devolved nations making their own separate closure announcements, Dr McBride had suggested the Stormont Executive “steal a march” on the others, as he predicted Scotland’s then first minister Nicola Sturgeon might want to “lead the way”. He said he found himself in an “impossible position” with Stormont ministers voting at a March 16 meeting on whether or not to accept his advice.
“What I was trying to do was to ensure that at a very early stage in this pandemic, with all that was ahead of us, that we continue to maintain the trust and confidence of the public,” he said. The paper’s purpose was to inform the ministers about the discussions at the latest UK-wide Cobra meeting on the situation.
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