Sunak accused of scathing ‘4 phrase assertion’ in Covid lockdown row | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Rishi Sunak mentioned the Government ought to “just let people die” as arguments raged over a second lockdown, the COVID-19 Inquiry has been informed.

Diary entries written by Sir Patrick Vallance had been proven to the Inquiry on Monday (November 20) throughout an explosive day of testimony by the previous chief scientific adviser.

Sir Patrick made a notice in his diary on October 25, 2020, a few “shambolic” assembly with Boris Johnson through which the then prime minister argued for “letting it all rip” and the then chancellor agreeing, in line with the then chief scientific adviser.

Dominic Cummings, who was on the time Mr Johnson’s most senior adviser, informed the assembly: “Rishi says just let people die and that’s okay.”

Sir Patrick mentioned he didn’t personally hear Mr Sunak specific such an opinion, however informed the Inquiry: “That’s what Dominic Cummings said.”

It represents essentially the most severe accusation levelled on the present Prime Minister within the Inquiry so far.

An extract from the diary entry reads: “DC arguing we need to save lives – it is not democratically possible to follow another route…

“DC argued once more (rightly) {that a} lockdown’s coming and due to this fact do it sooner reasonably than later. PM concludes, ‘Looks like we’re in a very robust spot, an entire shambles. I actually do not need to do one other nationwide lockdown’.

“PM told that if he wants to go down this route of letting go, ‘you need to tell people – you need to tell them you are going to allow people to die’…

“Conclusion – beef up the tiers – take into account a nationwide lockdown – determine by when.

“DC says ‘Rishi thinks just let people die and that’s okay’. This all feels like a complete lack of leadership.”

Asked concerning the diary entry, Sir Patrick informed the inquiry he was recording what will need to have been “quite a shambolic day”.

The subsequent day’s entry exhibits Mr Johnson took a unique view, describing the dying toll from COVID-19 as “terrible”.

The inquiry additionally heard Sir Patrick wrote that “we have a weak indecisive PM” and described the right-wing press as “culpable” in decision-making on Covid measures.

Sir Patrick described Cabinet ministers as being “meek as mice”, accusing them of an “abrogation of responsibility” for not imposing really helpful restrictions to curb the unfold of Covid within the autumn of 2020.

In an entry in his private notes dated October 11, 2020, the Government’s former chief scientific adviser welcomed being dropped from a press convention in favour of Mr Sunak.

Sir Patrick mentioned: “Good. They need to understand and own the decisions they’re making … being asked to approve the measures, knowing that it’s not enough, gave the example that Bolton worked, but only because hospitality fully closed.

“This is an enormous abrogation of duty.”

He then references various Cabinet ministers at the time, with Grant Shapps and Ben Wallace described as having “bought it” in backing tighter restrictions.

Sir Patrick later adds: “While ready somebody clearly not on mute – child crying after which she begins singing ‘the wheels on the bus’ – in some way symbolic of the shambles.”