Boris Johnson apologises for not wearing a mask on hospital visit, saying it was a 'mistake'

Boris Johnson has said it was "a mistake" not to wear a mask on a visit to a hospital last week.

The prime minister apologised after he was heavily criticised for meeting masked nurses at the hospital, talking to them and bumping elbows with them, while not wearing a face-covering himself during the visit to Hexham General Hospital on November 8.

A mask-less Boris Johnson greets hospital staff on his visit to Hexham General Hosptial

Appearing in front of Parliament’s Liaison Committee on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said he was maskless for “barely 30 seconds” and he had put it on as soon as he realised his mistake.

Responding to a question from Home Affairs Select Committee chair Yvette Cooper, who said the PM had higher standards to uphold, including on mask-wearing, Mr Johnson said: “As for not wearing a mask in Hexham Hospital, which you wrap up into my general litany of crime, can I just say that actually, there was barely 30 seconds where I wasn’t wearing a mask.

“I walked out of a room mistakenly not wearing it.

“I then put it on as soon as I realised I made that mistake.

“I apologise for it, but most pictures of my visit to the hospital will show that I was duly masked throughout the remainder of the visit, and I was masked on the way into the visit.”

Mr Johnson put on a mask, which had been handed to him by an aide, after a photo opportunity at the Northumberland hospital.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said the Prime Minister “did wear a mask for the majority of the visit”.

But “after the Prime Minister left a welcome meeting, he walked along a mezzanine corridor, for a very short period of time, without a mask”.

“As soon as this was identified he was given a mask and he put it on,” the trust said.