2023-12-12 17:30:24
MONDE – A few days after the hearing of the former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, before the public commission of inquiry into the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is the turn of Rishi Sunak to return to the circumstances and behind the scenes of the main government decisions at that time. The current Prime Minister, who was in charge of the Treasury under Boris Johnson, affirmed on Monday December 11, 2023 that he did not share the description of an “incompetent”, “incapable” and “in the grip of internal struggles” executive, made by d former colleagues of the firm during this investigation. If he expressed his “deep desolation” to the families of the victims of the pandemic, he insists that the “raging debates” au 10 Downing Street “were not necessarily a bad thing”. Rishi Sunak, who defended his program “Eat Out to Help Out” aimed at protecting jobs in the catering and hospitality sectors, was also questioned about his own WhatsApp exchanges with other leaders, claiming not to have kept them.
Before the hearing of the British Prime Minister, the commission of inquiry, announced in May 2021 and set up in July 2022, has heard, since the start of the hearings in June 2023, numerous former collaborators of Boris Johnson in the government. The interventions of experts, lawyers and crisis management specialists quickly gave way to the most anticipated audiences: those of the members of the executive, whose exchanges on WhatsApp had been disclosed to the public by The Daily Telegraph and his investigation into the “Lockdown Files”.
Among the first leaders to explain themselves to lawyers, witnesses and Heather Hallett, chair of the commission, were Lee Cain, communications director, and Dominic Cummings, political advisor to the former Prime Minister. Their testimonies, in which Boris Johnson was described as “weathercock”, “incompetent” and of “liar”, said a lot about the atmosphere that reigned at the heart of power during the first months of the pandemic. WhatsApp messages revealed by “Lockdown Files” depicted employees very often disagreeing on major decisions such as confinement and wearing a mask, and prey to “incompetence” and an “inability to make up their minds”.
Never without the advice of scientists…
However, this is not Rishi Sunak’s memory of the government during this period. The Prime Minister felt that he was not “necessarily a bad thing” that the discussions were heated, given the decisions to be made. “It is true that there was a vigorous debate because these were decisions that had incredibly serious consequences for tens of millions of people in all areas, whether it was health, “education, economics, social (…) These were incredibly important decisions, which no Prime Minister has taken for decades, if not ever”he added.
He nevertheless recalls not having worked directly in the PM’s office or at the headquarters of government. “It is therefore difficult for me to comment on this other than through my interactions” (with his colleagues and his ex-boss).
Regarding the decisions taken by Boris Johnson and his ministers, Rishi Sunak has constantly insisted that these were based on “advice from scientists”. “My strong memory of this period is that the government acted, I think, almost immediately, on the recommendations of the Sage (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, Editor’s note),” he declared. “Obviously, this advice has changed over the weeks (…) but for the most part I remember the government acting on the advice that was given”.
The former minister responsible for the Treasury said he did not remember the government meeting during which the confinement was decided nor the debate which preceded it, reiterating that “all these meetings were based on the scientific opinions that were issued”.
Was he opposed to confinement? Rishi Sunak clarified that lawyer Hugo Keith’s statement that he was “violently opposed to confinement” was a “wrong description” to position. “I was opposed to a firebreak lockdown (short-term confinement aimed at reducing the spread of the virus, Editor’s note) in September because I didn’t think it would have achieved the stated goals, which most people now recognize and I had proof of. This did not avoid the need for a second confinement”he said.
Rishi Sunak apologizes
Just like his predecessor, the Prime Minister recognizes the absence of “quality data” at this moment. Boris Johnson declared last week that he had declared confinement “without really being sure” Datas. “Scientific opinions were becoming more and more cautious. I felt like we had no more room to maneuver”he justified himself.
“One of my general thoughts in this area is around data and access to quality data. I think it’s very clear that early on there just wasn’t the quality or timely data across the board to make decisions.”explains Rishi Sunak.
About his program “Eat Out to Help Out” (Eat out to help out), which involved government subsidies of 50% of food and drinks in cafes and restaurants from the summer of 2020, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer recalled that this measure aimed to support the catering and hospitality sectors and reduce the impact of the pandemic. “My main concern was to protect the millions of jobs of particularly vulnerable people who worked in this industry (…). All the data, all the evidence, all the surveys, all the input from these companies suggested that if we did not act, many of these jobs would have been a risk with devastating consequences for these people and their families.”
He believes he was right not to have consulted scientists or the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, to launch this program, believing that people who did not agree had “ample opportunity” to raise their concerns with him, but they never did.
Regarding his own WhatsApp exchanges, Rishi Sunak, who apologized and said “deeply sorry” for the families of the victims, told the commission that he had not kept them. “I have changed phones several times over the last few years and as this happened the messages were not kept”.
This audience comes at a delicate time for the British Prime Minister and his party, the Tories, more unpopular than ever after suffering several electoral setbacks in recent months. Rishi Sunak and his policies are described by some as being “pro-WEF” (World Economic Forum). The Prime Minister is banking on the return of David Cameron, a Young Global Leader (YGL), a regular at the Davos forum and secret Bilderberg meetings, to strengthen ties within the Tories and lead British foreign policy…
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