Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, reportedly made controversial remarks during an inquiry into the UK’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the inquiry, Sunak suggested that the government should have allowed people to die instead of implementing a second national lockdown. This revelation was contained in a note written by Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser on the pandemic, in his diary on October 25th, 2020. The note detailed a meeting between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Sunak.
Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s top adviser during the pandemic, reportedly relayed what he heard at the meeting to Vallance. In response to these reports, Sunak’s spokesperson stated that the British Prime Minister will present his position when he submits evidence to the inquiry rather than addressing each part individually.
The investigation into the UK’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing and is expected to continue until summer 2026. It has resulted in over 220,000 deaths in Britain alone.