Calum Paton, Alan Clark and Dr John Cookson condemn the Tory leadership contender’s attempt to rewrite pandemic history. Plus Dr Peter Hindley on the need to re-examine a public health policy that was driven by a small group of experts
Rishi Sunak thinks we need a balanced view on lockdown (Sunak accused of ‘rewriting history’ by saying No 10 ignored lockdown harms, 25 August). How about factoring in lengthened waiting times and more deaths as a result of the NHS being stretched to breaking point by the failure to control Covid, delayed lockdowns and the premature ending of restrictions? How about comparing days of children’s education lost from lockdown with days lost through Covid running hot? Does he really believe the right’s attribution to lockdown of all the bad outcomes that resulted from the failure to control Covid?
Does he remember why “eat out to help out” was referred to as “eat out to die out” when the data was in? As for counteracting “fear”, does he think Covid was not to be feared? And does he remember Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance squirming as reluctant human shields at the 5pm briefings for a prime minister who was trashing good scientific advice to delay lockdown and ending it too soon, yet indulging bad scientific advice from maverick medics at the urging of his chancellor?
Calum Paton
Emeritus professor, Keele University
