Rishi Sunak denies claim he said it was ‘okay’ to ‘just let people die’ of Covid

At prime minister’s questions yesterday, Rishi Sunak denied a claim from Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, who read a quote from the Covid inquriy saying: “Rishi thinks just let people die and that’s okay.”

The prime ministers responded that that if she checked the evidence, the chief science adviser “confirmed” he did not hear him say it, adding: “That’s because I didn’t”.

He said: “As the honourable lady knows there is an ongoing inquiry into Covid, and it is right that that process is followed, and I look forward to providing my own evidence.

“But if she had taken the time to actually read the evidence submitted to the inquiry she would have seen that the person she mentioned, the chief scientific adviser, confirmed that he did not hear me say that. And that’s because I didn’t”.

Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website, providing comprehensive coverage of UK politics. Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.