The investigation, which began this summer and is led by Heather Hallett, a retired English Court of Appeal judge, is expected to last until 2026, and consists of several separate parts – formally known as modules.
His working day on Monday, which lasted until the evening of the second exam unit currently underway, was spent listening to Sunak.
The Conservative Prime Minister, who was serving as Finance Minister in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government while the British coronavirus pandemic took hold, expressed deep regret at the hearing into deaths resulting from the pandemic and apologized to those affected by the effects of official measures taken during the pandemic.
In response to questions about the validity of government measures, Rishi Sunak stated that the opinions of scientific advisors on how to treat the coronavirus epidemic “cover a wide spectrum.”
The British Prime Minister added: “The science was uncertain at the time, and the scientists themselves said so.”
According to Sun, “It would be an oversimplification of the situation to say that there has always been a definite answer” to questions related to the epidemic.
One of the most eagerly awaited elements of Monday’s session was the initiative announced by the current Prime Minister as Finance Minister in the summer of 2020 under the title “Eat Out to Help Out,” which encouraged residents to visit restaurants that support prices in the country. This is to help the restaurant sector, which has been severely affected by the pandemic restrictions.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the British government’s chief scientific adviser at the time, said at the inquiry a few days ago that the government had not previously consulted with epidemiological scientific bodies, and this initiative completely reversed previous official guidance that social contact between people was essential. High epidemiological risks.
When asked whether the initiative could increase the number of deaths resulting from the pandemic, the former chief scientific adviser replied: “Probably yes.”
But Rishi Sunak told Monday’s hearing that he had not heard any suggestions from government advisers at the time that the program aimed at helping the hospitality sector – whose budget support costs £850 million – would accelerate the spread of the pandemic.
According to the British Prime Minister, the scientific advisors “had plenty of time” to formulate their comments in the period between the announcement and the start of the program, but none of them took advantage of it.
The Prime Minister flatly denied that the Eat Out to Help Out program caused the second wave of the British coronavirus epidemic that began in the fall of 2020, which led to new nationwide restrictions in November 2020.
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak said the aim of the support initiative is to save two million jobs in the hospitality sector.
