All we learnt from Sunak at Covid Inquiry as he denies main ‘pro-death squad’

Rishi Sunak was confronted by claims he ran a “pro-death squad” Treasury and branded free college meal mother and father “freeloaders” throughout a gruelling day of proof to the Covid Inquiry.

The Prime Minister, who prides himself on his meticulous consideration to element, rejected criticism of his pandemic file however was unable to recollect key particulars throughout the six-hour grilling. He grew tetchy when questioned on the controversial Eat Out to Help Out scheme and was pressured to disclaim making disparaging remarks about poor households.

TUC Assistant General Secretary Kate Bell mentioned: “Rishi Sunak said under oath that it was important to learn the lessons of Covid. Yet he failed to recollect vital details of public interest on more than 20 occasions. And he refused time and again to take any responsibility for his actions. Without proper candour and accountability from our leaders, we risk making the same mistakes again.”

Here are the important thing moments from the Prime Minister’s Covid Inquiry grilling.

Sunak ‘deeply sorry’ for loss and struggling throughout pandemic

Mr Sunak used his opening remarks to the Inquiry to apologise for the struggling endured by so many throughout the pandemic. Striking an analogous tone to Boris Johnson, he mentioned he was “deeply sorry” to those that misplaced family members and who suffered throughout the pandemic “as a result of the actions that were taken”.

The Prime Minister added: “I’ve thought a lot about this over the past couple of years. It is important that we learn the lessons so that we can be better prepared in the future. It is in that spirit and with enormous respect for all of those who are affected that I’m here today.”

But campaigners for bereaved households gave his apology quick shrift. Pointing to the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, Naomi Fulop, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, mentioned: “Sunak sacrificed our loved ones to get people spending, and ended up damaging the economy by plunging us into a second wave worse than the first.”

Pandemic-era WhatsApps lacking

Rishi Sunak confirmed that he hadn’t been in a position to hand over WhatsApp messages spanning the pandemic as he has modified cellphone a number of occasions in recent times. He conveniently forgot to again up his messages when switching handsets, which means they weren’t transferred over.

Mr Sunak instructed the Inquiry he was by no means suggested to save lots of these chats, regardless of key conversations being held through WhatsApp. He claimed he did not use texts or WhatsApps a lot – and was typically solely in teams arrange for particular functions.

It comes after Boris Johnson additionally failed handy over WhatsApps from everything of the primary lockdown as he mentioned they could not be retrieved from his previous cellphone. Asked if he had the messages, Mr Sunak mentioned: “No, I don’t, I’ve changed my phone multiple times over the past few years and, as that has happened, the messages have not come across.

“As you mentioned, I’m not a prolific person of WhatsApp within the first occasion – primarily communication with my personal workplace and clearly something that was of significance by way of these conversations or exchanges would have been recorded formally by my civil servants as one would anticipate.”

Treasury was not a ‘pro-death squad’

Rishi Sunak rejected Boris Johnson’s characterisation of the Treasury as a “pro-death squad” due to its resistance to lockdown measures. He told the Inquiry it was unfair to describe the department that way – and said staff worked “extraordinarily onerous” and saved people’s jobs.

The nickname was revealed in an extract from Sir Patrick Vallance’s diary about a No10 meeting on lifting lockdown rules in January 2021. Asked if he was aware of the moniker, Mr Sunak said: “I wasn’t and I don’t suppose it’s a honest characterisation on the extremely hardworking people who I used to be fortunate to be supported by on the Treasury.”

Dame Angela McLean, who is now the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser, referred to him as “Dr Death the Chancellor” in a WhatsApp exchange also shown to the probe.

Diary claims free school meals parents branded ‘freeloaders’ – but Sunak denies it

A previously unseen extract from Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries was raised with Rishi Sunak, detailing a meeting when the parents of children on free school meals were dismissed as “freeloaders”.

Hugo Keith KC raised the entry describing a meeting on June 13 2021 involving Mr Sunak and the Conservative Chief Whip, where they discussed Manchester United star Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end holiday hunger. The Government initially resisted his demands but Boris Johnson was eventually shamed into U-turning twice.

According to Sir Patrick, someone at the meeting said: “Good working people pay for their children to eat and we don’t want freeloaders.” Asked he had made those comments or if anyone else did, Mr Sunak said: “I didn’t say these phrases. I do not recollect anybody saying these phrases.”

Rajiv Menon KC, performing for quite a lot of youngsters’s charities, additionally pulled Rishi Sunak up on free college meals row. He requested Mr Sunak whether or not ex-No10 aide Lee Cain was proper to say it was a “enormous blunder” to resist Rashford’s campaign for so long.

Mr Sunak says he can’t remember the exact discussions – or what his view was at the time. But he says he always prioritised helping the most needy and said the Government funded the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which means support is more generous than before the pandemic.

Rattled PM defends ‘Eat Out to Help Out’

Rishi Sunak obtained tetchy when requested to defend ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ – his half-price eating scheme in August 2020 that has been blamed for driving up infections. Several prime scientists have instructed the probe they weren’t consulted on it – and Chief Medical Office Professor Chris Whitty branded it “Eat Out to Help Out the virus”.

The Prime Minister insisted it was the “right thing to do to protect” staff from the “devastating consequences” of job losses throughout a tense little bit of questioning. “In order to safeguard the jobs of two million people working in the sector, you need people to go and use those businesses,” he mentioned.

He mentioned Government scientists weren’t consulted on the £840million low cost scheme because it was a “micro policy” and mentioned they’d “ample opportunity to raise those concerns between the announcement of the scheme and its implementation”. “None of them chose to do so in any forum that they were in,” he added.