‘Very partial’: Deputy PM dismisses claim Johnson saw Covid as ‘nature’s way of dealing with old people’
Oliver Dowden has dismissed the claim that former prime minister Boris Johnson saw Covid as “nature’s way of dealing with old people”. Dowden, who serves as deputy prime minister and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said that that account, which was revealed at the Covid inquiry yesterday, was “very partial”. He told Sky News: […]
From ‘Dishy Rishi’ to ‘Dr Death’: Sunak should fear the Covid inquiry
Rishi Sunak says he is looking forward to giving evidence to the Covid inquiry — he shouldn’t be.
Chris Whitty referred to Rishi Sunak’s ‘Eat out to help out’ as ‘Eat out to help out the virus’
During the proceedings of the Covid Inquiry yesterday it was revealed that professor Chris Whitty, then the chief medical officer, referred to the “Eat out to help out” scheme as “Eat out to help out the virus”. The scheme, launched by the Treasury and fronted by then-chancellor Rishi Sunak, subsidised meals in August 2020 in […]
Inside Boris Johnson’s No 10: Official dubbed ‘Party Marty’ and Dominic Cummings to face Covid inquiry this week
The Downing Street official dubbed “Party Marty” and former chief adviser to Boris Johnson Dominic Cummings are among those scheduled to give testimony to the Covid inquiry this week. After four months of hearings, the accounts given by Cummings, Martin Reynolds as well as Lee Cain, his ex-communications chief, will provide potentially damning insight into […]
Recall petition ousts Margaret Ferrier as an MP
The recall petition recently held in the constituency of Rutherglen and Hamilton West has generated enough support to remove the sitting MP and trigger a by-election in the seat. During the last 6 weeks, over 11,896 (14.7%) of the electorate in Rutherglen and Hamilton West signed the petition. This was well in excess of the […]
Covid inquiry should not see ‘unambiguously irrelevant’ WhatsApps, Cabinet Office to tell High Court
Lawyers for the Cabinet Office will tell the High Court today that the UK’s Official Covid inquiry should not see “unambiguously irrelevant” material, as the government’s legal challenge over the inquiry’s demand for former prime minister Boris Johnson’s unredacted messages begins. The government is bringing a judicial review over inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett’s order to […]
Why are lockdown sceptics loyal to Boris Johnson?
One of the stranger aspects of the ‘Partygate’ discourse has been the loyalty shown by some conservative opponents of COVID-19 lockdowns to Boris Johnson’s cause. Prominent media figures on the right have jumped to Johnson’s defence over allegations that he broke lockdown rules, with arguments tending to focus on talking points like ‘this is all […]
Senior Conservative MP says decision to sue Covid inquiry creates impression government has ‘something to hide’
The government’s decision to sue the Covid inquiry “gives the impression that somehow the government has something to hide”, a senior Conservative MP has said. Sir Robert Buckland, who served as justice secretary and Lord Chancellor from 2019 to 2021, said that the move by the government was “unnecessary”, telling Sky News: “it would have […]
Week-in-Review: Sunak’s embrace of secrecy leaves him exposed
A week is a long time in politics. This one began with revelations that Covid inquiry chair Baroness Hallett was requesting Boris Johnson’s pandemic-era WhatsApps and ended with the government suing that same inquiry, set up under Johnson, created to investigate the government’s Covid conduct. We can trace the origins of the week’s developments back […]
Minister admits government will ‘probably’ lose Covid inquiry legal case – amid ‘cover-up’ accusations
The Cabinet Office yesterday confirmed it was launching a legal challenge in a bid to block the Covid inquiry’s request for Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages, diaries and notebooks. The department said it was bringing a judicial review challenge “with regret”, but added that there were “important issues of principle at stake”. The decision, which […]
