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Rishi Sunak said scientists had never raised considerations about his Eat Out to Help Out plan, even though a month passed between the policy’s announcement and its entry into force.
The Prime Minister said at the Covid inquiry that the minutes of several meetings held in the spring showed that neither Sir Patrick Vallance nor Professor Sir Chris Whitty had opposed the policy.
He said it’s up to councillors to express their thoughts to him, adding: “It’s possible that something could have been done about it if they were strongly committed to it. “
The messages revealed that government scientists had referred to the then-chancellor as “Dr. Death” because of his considerations about his efforts to keep the economy going while the Treasury handled the pandemic.
The Prime Minister deserves to ask himself whether he believes that too much strength has been given to scientists and whether the effect of lockdowns has not been sufficiently taken into account.
His question, via chief solicitor Hugo Keith KC in west London, kicks off a week for Sunak as he faces a vote on his Rwanda law on Tuesday.
Follow the latest updates on our blog below.
17:13, Josh Salisbury
Our Covid survey policy today comes to an end. Thank you for following us.
Summing up, Rishi Sunak said at the hearing that the Eat Out to Help Out discount hospitality scheme had helped staff overcome the “devastating consequences” of lost duties.
The plan was put forward by the Prime Minister, while he was Chancellor during the pandemic, in the summer of 2020, with the aim of supporting the hotel sector hardest hit as the UK emerged from coronavirus restrictions during the first lockdown.
The policy has been heavily scrutinised by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, with questions about whether scientists were consulted about the plan and whether it contributed to the spread of infection.
But in his testimony, Sunak defended the plan as “the right thing to do” protect, what he described as “millions” of jobs maintained through “particularly people”.
For a review of the day’s events, click here.
16:39, Josh Salisbury
Rishi Sunak has finished attesting from Covid research.
Mr Sunak was grilled over Eat Out to Help Out, decision making over lockdown and on his lack of WhatsApps given to the inquiry, which he said was a result of changing phones.
Lady Hallett, chair of the inquiry, tells him: “Thank you very much prime minister. I doubt there’s ever an easy time for you to come and give evidence, but I appreciate it’s difficult this particular week.”
This turns out to be a reference to the pressures Sunak faces within his party over the Rwanda bill.
16:16, Josh Salisbury
Outside of the Covid investigation, Downing Street insisted it would “continue to pay attention to MPs’ views” on the Rwanda bill.
Rishi Sunak’s new illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson began briefing MPs this afternoon ahead of a crunch vote on Tuesday.
The reading of the moment will be carried out as planned, said number 10, despite calls from deputies for the bill to be withdrawn.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Of course we’ll continue to listen to MPs on their views. Some groups of MPs have set out detailed views earlier today which we’ll listen to carefully.”
He stated that the government continues to believe that the bill is the most powerful law imaginable as it stands.
15:29, Josh Salisbury
Rishi Sunak said it was unfair to describe the Treasury under his leadership during the pandemic as a “pro-death squad”.
The former chancellor was asked by inquiry lead counsel Hugo Keith KC whether he was aware of the description used by some No 10 officials to refer to the department being opposed to maximum public health interventions.
The prime minister said: “It wasn’t, and I don’t think that’s an accurate description of the incredibly hard-working people I’ve been lucky enough to receive grants from the Treasury. “
14:52, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak has said Sage is “high” in the Covid debate.
“On second thought, it’s vital to this. Sage had a goal. . . there was no equivalent economic Sage. “
14:46, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak is asked about an interview with The Spectator published in the summer of 2022 in which he claims that Covid policy “was decided through half-explained graphs drawn up by outside academics”.
Sunak denied those words, but added that Sage’s perspectives were presented as a “consensus” when there was abundant debate within the organisation of scientists.
“I think in the political debates that took place, I’m not sure that the country understood that there is less consensus within Sage than what was presented. “
14:36, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak is asked if he has consulted UK countries on Eat Out to Help Out.
He said it “wouldn’t have been a policy” to do so, citing the licensing scheme as an example of when this hasn’t happened.
14:30, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak has said the “onus” was on Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Sir Chris Whitty to raise concerns about Eat Out to Help Out.
“I didn’t think it was a risk. If others thought about it, they had enough opportunity to raise those considerations in the forums where I or the Prime Minister, and they didn’t. “
14:26 , Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak said scientists had a month to consider eating out to help, and they didn’t.
He claimed that the minutes of the spring meetings showed that neither Sir Patrick Vallance nor Professor Sir Chris Whitty had raised any issues with the project.
“I don’t recall that it was raised at all in the meetings you mentioned,” he told the inquiry.
14:15, Daniel Keane
Hugo Keith KC asked Rishi Sunak if the Eat Out to Help Out programme had served to inspire “behavioural change”.
Sunak responded: “My main fear is to protect millions of jobs in this sector, namely the most vulnerable. All the data, evidence and surveys suggest that if we had not acted, the consequences would have been devastating.
“That’s why other countries did this, they all suffered from this problem. “
14:12, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak has resumed his testimony in the inquest.
Hugo Keith KC asks Mr Sunak about the Eat Out to Help Out programme and why it was not introduced in advance to the Health Secretary, Sage and the Chief Medical Officer in light of the “clear threat of transmission” of the policy.
Mr Sunak responded: “Eat Out to Help Out was designed in particular in the context of the lifting of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) that had already been approved in the May plan, which had reopened indoor hospitality.
“Eat Out to Help Out only operated within that context. There were other NPIs that were in place. The overall reopening of indoor hospitality had already been implemented.”
13:12, Daniel Keane
The inquiry is now taking a short break for lunch, and will return just before 2pm.
Rishi Sunak has absconded and will most likely be informed through his advisers about the latest developments in his project in Rwanda.
13:11, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak said that too many people worked from home during the pandemic.
He argued that this is due to poor communication by the government about this policy.
Sunak said the public had not understood “clearly enough that they only stop painting if they can’t paint from home”.
13:06 , Daniel Keane
12:57, Daniel Keane
Downing Street has defended Rishi Sunak over the loss of his WhatsApp messages, which were unavailable for the Covid investigation.
“The minister follows the applicable rules for all communications, adding WhatsApp,” the official spokesperson said. Sunak.
12:55, Daniel Keane
Some news has just come in regarding Rishi Sunak’s plan for Rwanda.
The law “provides a partial and incomplete solution” but does not go “far enough to implement the policy as hoped,” the Chamber of Lawyers of the conservative European Research Group said.
12:45, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak has blamed the “record tax burden” now facing Britons for borrowing from the Covid lockdown.
He said: “It is clear that because of what was happening, the economy would be affected, jobs would be affected, meaning people’s livelihoods, businesses would be disrupted and, because of the borrowing required, it would have a impact”. execute tax levels.
Mr Sunak added: “I am grappling with the consequences of that as we have a tax burden that is higher than I would like.”
12:39, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak has expressed fears that temporarily other people working in the retail and hospitality sectors may return to work after the lockdown.
He said: “We are a consumption-driven economy, and people’s jobs depend on that. If you yourself find yourself in a scenario where those spaces are closed, then I worry when they will reappear, this would have significant implications for many people’s employment.
“These sectors also disproportionately employed the most vulnerable people in society.”
12:27, Daniel Keane
Away from the Covid inquiry for a moment, as the Government announced that it will publish a summary of its legal advice on the efforts to revive the stalled Rwanda asylum scheme.
The move comes as MPs prepare to vote on Tuesday on the legislation aimed at making the plan legally watertight following the Supreme Court’s ruling against the plan.
The unusual decision to publish a summary of the recommendation will be seen as an attempt to appease Conservative MPs and rival factions over their position on the plan.
12:15, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak has resumed his testimony in the inquest.
He is asked about “behavioural fatigue” and discussions about this in the early stages of the pandemic.
“I don’t think those issues will be discussed in detail,” he replied.
Sunak said the “overall strategy” remained to “flatten the curve” of the infection wave, rather than herd immunity.
11:57, Daniel Keane
The investigation has taken a break, we’ll be back in ten minutes.
11:49 , Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak is asked about Sir Patrick Vallance’s claim that there is “operational inefficiency” at Number 10 and that Boris Johnson is not smart when it comes to making decisions.
He said Johnson had to make decisions “that no prime minister had ever made before” and that “the fact that there are debates is a reality. “
Johnson “frequently tested other points of view,” Sunak added.
“I don’t think there’s anything to it. “
11:44, Daniel Keane
The investigation pulls excerpts from emails sent through Elizabeth Perelman, a Treasury official.
The emails mention a “huddle” with Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak after a meeting held with other officials.
Mr Sunak replied: “I didn’t write the email, so I don’t know what it means. Is it conceivable that he had a meeting with the Prime Minister?Of course. Maybe it wasn’t an assembly, maybe it just gave me an idea of where his head was at the time.
11:34, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak told the Covid inquiry that it would be “impossible” to record each and every verbal exchange between cabinet ministers.
Asked about his interactions with Boris Johnson, Sunak said: “If I was having lunch with my circle of family on the lawn at the same time as the Prime Minister, on a typical weekend in Downing Street, then we would be notoriously chatting while they were having a barbecue.
“I think it’s very unlikely to record every single verbal exchange between two ministers. “
11:20, Daniel Keane
11:11, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak discusses the “dysfunction” of No 10 and the Cabinet Office.
He said, “My interactions with any of them are smart to me. “
Sunak added that the Prime Minister “very much followed the recommendation he made to him through SAGE” at the start of the pandemic.
The economic effect “doesn’t drive the debate” about the restrictions, he said.
10:57 , Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak focuses more on the effect of his advice on Boris Johnson’s decision-making.
He explained that his recommendation definitely had an effect on the prime minister, as the two men worked a lot together, adding, “I probably saw the prime minister more than my own wife at the time. “
10:51, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak is asked whether he “promoted” a particular view on Covid regulations during his time as Chancellor.
He responded that his “primary responsibility” is to provide recommendations and research on the economic consequences of lockdowns or other measures.
“The prime minister is the only one who makes the decisions. Only he has the ability to make those decisions in the face of competing interests. “
10:47, Daniel Keane
Hugo Keith KC asked whether there was a “clash” between economic and public health interests during the pandemic.
Rishi Sunak said at the inquiry that he believed his role was to provide an investigation into the effect of the measures on the economy, but denied it was a “conflict”.
“There has been a full diversity of impacts, many of which are socio-economic. . . It’s vital that policymakers take all of them into account. “
10:44 , Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak has said he replaced his phone since the pandemic, meaning WhatsApp messages from that time cannot be retrieved for the investigation.
Sunak said he remembered officials telling him he had to save messages on his phone for the purposes of the investigation.
10:42, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak has said he “deeply regrets” those who have lost loved ones to the Covid pandemic.
He also apologized to “all of you who have suffered on other days for the moves taken” through the ministers.
“I have a lot of ideas about it and it’s vital that we are informed about the pandemic so that we are better prepared. . . It’s in that spirit that I’m here today. “
10:35, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak’s testimony has begun from the Covid investigation.
The Prime Minister took the oath of office and showed his full name.
10:24 , Daniel Keane
A landmark report released over the weekend by the Center for Social Justice (CSJ) provides an interesting study on the effect of Covid lockdowns.
It warned that the UK is in danger of sliding back into the “Two Nations” of the Victorian era marked by a widening gap between mainstream society and a depressed and poverty-stricken underclass.
According to the center, some 13. 4 million people lead lives marked by family fragility, stagnant wages, poor housing, chronic physical disorders and crime.
The CSJ also shows that pandemic-related lockdowns have had a “catastrophic effect” on the country’s social fabric, specifically for the less advantaged, where the gap between the so-called “rich” and the “rich” has widened. it has been greatly expanded.
You can read our full story about it here.
10:03, Daniel Keane
As Rishi Sunak prepares to testify from the Covid investigation, he will also be keeping an eye on developments in his year.
The prime minister’s authority is at risk as tribes on the left and right hold separate meetings on Monday to decide whether they will back the embattled law in a very important vote on Tuesday.
Hardline Brexiteers from the European Research Group and other camps on the Conservative right will first hold a summit on the legislation aimed at reviving his asylum policy.
Veteran MP Sir Bill Cash will provide the findings of his so-called “star-studded chamber” of lawyers, but has already pointed out that the proposed law is not compatible with setting up and operationalising the £290 million plan.
09:39, Daniel Keane
Rishi Sunak played a significant role in the Government’s role of the pandemic, serving as Chancellor until his resignation in July 2022.
Lawyers in the inquiry will most likely focus on claims that he constantly tried to convince No 10 to implement Covid-related measures and cause economic damage.
Its Eat Out to Help Out program came under specific scrutiny in the inquiry, with Professor Sir Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance saying they had not been consulted about the policy before its implementation in summer 2020.
The scheme is believed to have been behind a surge in infections that eventually culminated in the second lockdown in November 2020.
Sunak will also face questions about a note in Sir Patrick’s diary that quotes him as saying: “Rishi just thinks he’s letting other people die and that’s fine. “
09:23, Matt Watts
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has claimed Rishi Sunak“saved the economy” during the pandemic.As the Prime Minister prepares to give evidence to the Covid inquiry, the Defence Secretary said: “It’s so easy in hindsight to look at all these things with 20/20 vision and say ‘Ah, if only you had done X at Y moment in time’.
“The fact is that Rishi Sunak, Covid, kept millions of jobs in this country through the furlough scheme and also kept millions of businesses, with huge sums of aid – over £400 billion. “
Mr Shapps told GB News: “I think we should actually remember that he was the guy who saved the economy, an economy which – against all the expectations previously – has actually grown this year as a result of the decisions he made not to allow businesses and jobs to go.”