An ongoing investigation has alleged that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government should “just let people die” during the covid-19 pandemic and not impose another national lockdown.
Patrick Vallance, who was the government’s chief scientific adviser during the coronavirus pandemic, made a note in his diary on 25 October 2020 of a meeting involving then-prime minister Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, who was the finance minister.
The diary shown in the investigation recorded how Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s top adviser during the pandemic, relayed to Valance what he said he heard at the meeting, Reuters writes.
Vallance quoted Cummings in his diary as saying, “Rishi thinks letting people die is okay. This all seems like a complete lack of leadership.”
A spokesman for Sunak said that the prime minister would rather state his position when he testifies in the investigation than answer to everyone individually.
The inquiry is examining the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has shut down large parts of the economy and killed more than 220,000 people in Britain.
Senior government officials have repeatedly said the government was unprepared for the pandemic and that a “toxic” and “macho” culture was hindering the response to the health crisis.
The evidence in the investigation creates danger for Sunak and undermines his attempt to present himself as a change in the chaotic leadership of Johnson, even though he was one of the most senior ministers in that government.
