UK: Rishi Sunak blasts government's response to COVID-19 pandemic

Former British finance minister Rishi Sunak criticized Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sunak said scientists were given too much influence and that the government should not have alarmed people about the coronavirus.

In an interview with Spector magazine, Sunak, who is one of the two candidates in the race to succeed Johnson as prime minister and leader of the Conservative party, said the government was wrong to scare people into wanting a lockdown.

Sunak added that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies – the group that responded to the outbreak – was given too much influence by ministers on decisions such as closing schools and nurseries.

“The script was to not ever acknowledge them,” said Sunak, referring to when he was barred by officials from Johnson’s office to discuss the “trade-offs” of imposing COVID-19 restrictions, including the impact of missed doctor’s appointments and the long waiting lists for healthcare in the National Health Service.

“The script was, ‘Oh there’s no trade-off, because doing this for our health is good for the economy,” said Sunak.

When pressed about why opinion polls showed the public looking to put the country on lockdown, Sunak said the government’s “fear messaging” played a part.

Sunak said the government was wrong to publish posters that showed COVID-19 patients on ventilators, claiming the Cabinet office was “very upset” when he gave a speech back in September of 2020 telling people to “live without fear.”

A government spokesperson responded to Sunak’s remarks, defending the record on COVID-19 and saying that the economy and children’s education were major aspects of the difficult decisions that were made during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Johnson made a surprise visit to Ukraine Wednesday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Johnson praised the country for its “indomitable” resistance to Russia’s invasion, which is already in its sixth month. Johnson also warned against promoting a “flimsy plan” for discussions with Russia.

Johnson stressed the importance of Europe maintaining its military and economic support for Ukraine despite the rising energy and food prices.

“We also know that if we’re paying our energy bills for the evils of Vladimir Putin, the people of Ukraine are paying in their blood,” said Johnson during a joint news conference.