26 May 2021
- Jonathan Bartley: “Without full accountability, this government will continue to mislead and attempt to spin its way out of taking responsibility”
The Green Party has reiterated its call for a full public and judge-led inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic to begin immediately [1] following the evidence given by Dominic Cummings to MPs today [Wednesday 26 May].
The Prime Minister’s former chief adviser revealed a catalogue of failings in the UK government’s response to Covid-19 which led to the avoidable deaths of tens of thousands of people when he appeared before the health and science joint committee today.
Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley said:
“The evidence provided by Boris Johnson’s former chief advisor has shocked and saddened many of us in equal measure.
“From describing a government that simply had no plan, to accusing a Secretary of State of lying, public trust has been seriously undermined by how badly the Government has mismanaged the pandemic and the thousands of avoidable deaths this has caused.
“It is vital that a full public and judge-led inquiry starts immediately to discover exactly what went wrong, ensure that such mistakes are not repeated again and begin to restore public trust.
“Without full accountability, this government will continue to mislead and attempt to spin its way out of taking responsibility. Everybody suffers as this government attempts to gaslight us all over its failings during the pandemic.
“From repeatedly underestimating the impact of the virus, to spending billions on a failed test and trace system, the repeated failings are clear despite attempts to mislead the House and the public by a number of cabinet ministers.
“It will take generations for us to come to terms with what has happened since the beginning of last year, but a full public inquiry could provide the first steps for many to be able to do that.”
ENDS
Notes
1
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