Acting Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey secured a commitment from the Prime Minister to an independent inquiry into the Government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis and called for the timetable to be set out immediately.
The UK has suffered one of the worst death rates in the world.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Ed Davey warned that under Boris Johnson’s leadership the country has suffered one of the worst death rates in the world and Europe’s worst death rate of health and care workers.
Making reference to Boris Johnson’s support for an independent inquiry into the Iraq War, Ed Davey again urged the Prime Minister to commit in principle to a future independent inquiry.
In response, the Prime Minister accepted his Government will “learn the lessons of this pandemic” and confirmed there will be in independent inquiry.
Liberal Democrats were the first party leader to call for an independent inquiry, back on the 21st of April, and we have consistently made the case since.
Ed Davey has grilled the Prime Minister on the issue in the House of Commons, and Layla Moran is chairing the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus that is taking evidence on the Government response to the pandemic.
The Government must be held to account to ensure that the same mistakes are never repeated.
It is clear the Government has failed on so many fronts – failing to prepare properly for a pandemic, failing to protect care home residents and social care workers, and failing to properly communicate their plans and so much more.
With so many loved ones lost, people deserve to know what happened. After months of refusing the public that opportunity, we are pleased the Prime Minister has finally accepted Liberal Democrat demands for an independent inquiry.
The Prime Minister must now set out the timetable of this inquiry, and it must begin as soon as possible. The Government must be held to account to ensure that the same mistakes are never repeated.
The Liberal Democrats have been calling for an independent inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic since April, to make sure we learn the lessons before a possible second wave.@BorisJohnson must now set out the timetable of this inquiry⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/XEu7TVKIj6
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) July 15, 2020