Luke Pollard MP has joined the wider Labour Party in responding to ‘extraordinary’ claims made by Dominic Cummings at yesterday’s joint Health and Science & Technology Committee.

Mr Cummings told MPs that Government failure and inaction led the UK to the highest death toll of any country in Europe last year. Cummings alleged that Health Secretary Matt Hancock lied ‘on multiple occasions’, that the Government had seriously pursued a herd immunity strategy, and that a top Downing Street official remarked: ‘I think this country is heading for a disaster. I think we’re going to kill thousands of people’.

On these shocking claims made by Mr Cummings, Luke Pollard MP stated:

“The revelations from Dominic Cummings are extraordinary. They matter because he was the Prime Minister’s most trusted advisor in the room when the decisions about COVID were being made.

 

The story he tells is one of chaos, confusion, lies and incompetence. We need a full public inquiry now to get to the truth so lessons can be learned and fast. Over 125,000 people died during the pandemic, including many in Plymouth. We need the truth and for the lessons to be learned.”

Luke has echoed the wider Labour Party in his reaction to yesterday’s select committee. Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner MP:

“The questions raised today go to the heart of the Prime Minister’s direct and personal responsibility for the UK’s shocking death toll.

 

“Boris Johnson’s casual disregard for the safety of the British people has had fatal consequences. From care homes to borders, repeatedly locking down too late and failing to learn from his mistakes, the Prime Minister’s decisions and failures resulted in tens of thousands of avoidable deaths.

 

“Families who lost loved ones deserve to know the truth. The public inquiry cannot possibly be delayed any further. No more dither, no more delay. No more blustering his way through. Over 125,000 grieving families deserve answers.”

Luke has joined Angela Rayner MP in demanding an immediate public inquiry into the Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.