Baroness Foster rejects claim NI sleepwalked into Covid pandemic

A claim that Stormont ministers sleepwalked into a pandemic is "offensive", the former first minister has said.

Baroness Arlene Foster was giving evidence at the UK Covid inquiry sitting in Belfast when the claim was put to her.

Counsel to the inquiry Clair Dobbin KC said it was "really difficult" to understand why basic response plans were not activated by the time the pandemic was declared.

"The idea... that we would expose [our constituents] to this in a wilful way, is just offensive frankly," Baroness Foster said.

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