UK's Rishi Sunak questioned at COVID-19 inquiry

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunaksaid he was "deeply sorry" for the families of people who died during the COVID-19 pandemic as he was questioned on Monday at a public inquiry into the UK government's handling of the health crisis.

Sunak, who was finance minister in 2020, oversaw the government's "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme designed to prop up the hospitality industry.

However, he has faced criticism that his policies helped spread the virus that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

What did Sunak say?

The prime minister began by saying "how deeply sorry I am to all of those who lost loved ones, family members through the pandemic."

He explained that he had seen his role "as making sure the prime minister [Boris Johnson at the time] had the best possible advice, information and analysis relating to the economic impact" of the government's handling of the pandemic, including lockdowns.

But he emphasized that Johnson had been "the ultimate and sole decision-
maker."

Sunak contested claims that the government's scientific advisors had warned against ending lockdowns at the time and defended his decision not to consult them on his "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme.

The government "had already made the collective decision to reopen indoor hospitality," Sunak told the inquiry.

The prime minister also said he was unable to offer up his WhatsApp messages from the time, saying they had been lost when he switched phones. Johnson had told the inquiry earlier that he had also suffered from similar problems and thus could not give investigators access to his messages.

What has the inquiry heard about Rishi Sunak?

The British government's chief scientific adviser at the start of the pandemic, Patrick Vallance, previously told the inquiry that Sunak's scheme was "highly likely" to have increased COVID-19 deaths.

A diary entry written by Vallance also recorded Boris Johnson's controversial former aide Dominic Cummings as saying that Sunak thinks the government "should just let people die and that's OK."

Sunak has denied making this comment. Vallance has confirmed he did not personally hear Sunak say it.

Meanwhile, government scientific adviser Angela McLean referred to Sunak as "Dr Death, the Chancellor" in a message that was disclosed earlier to the inquiry. Sunak's official title at the time was chancellor of the exchequer, whose roles resemble those of a finance minister in other countries.  

Tensions within the Conservative Party

Some members of the government have rallied around Sunak. Cabinet minister Michael Gove said on Sunday that the policy to encourage people to dine out during the pandemic was "entirely within the broad outlines of rules about social mixing that prevailed at the time."

"It was an effective way of ensuring that the hospitality industry was supported through a very difficult period," Gove said.

However, Sunak's appearance before the inquiry comes ahead of a crucial vote on Tuesday on a divisive plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Some moderates within the Conservative Party oppose the proposed law over human rights concerns, while lawmakers on the party's right-wing have argued that it does not go far enough.

The Rwanda plan has become a defining issue of Sunak's government and the prospect of a rebellion within the party has sparked calls for a snap election that, according to opinion polls, the government would lose.

zc/wmr (AFP, Reuters)