An investigation into the UK’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has reportedly uncovered controversial statements made by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a meeting with then-prime minister Boris Johnson. According to a memo written by Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser on the pandemic, in his diary on October 25, 2020, Sunak suggested that the government should “just let people die” instead of implementing another national lockdown.
The revelation was relayed to Vallance by Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s top adviser during the pandemic. Sunak’s spokesman stated that the British prime minister would provide his position when he testified before the inquiry rather than addressing each section individually. The inquiry is expected to continue until the summer of 2026 and will examine the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in over 220,000 deaths.