‘WHEN will the Prime Minister and others be investigated by the police for alleged corporate manslaughter and why did they not follow the example of New Zealand where they managed to control the virus with minimum number of deaths?’ Yasmin Qureshi Labour MP for for Bolton South East asked Tory Health Secretary Hancock in Parliament yesterday.
Hancock replied: ‘No. What I would say to the people of Bolton is that the uptake of vaccinations has been phenomenal.’
Hancock was responding to an urgent question put to him about the government’s lack of preparedness and handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the light of ex-government advisor Dominic Cummings’ evidence given to the Parliamentary Committee the previous day.
Labour Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: ‘There are allegations of a lack of preparedness and lack of protection in care homes. Now these allegations from Cummings are either true – and if so the Health Secretary potentially stands in breach of the ministerial code – or they are false, and the Prime Minister brought a fantasist and a liar into the heart of Downing Street. Which is it?
‘Families who have lost loved ones deserve full answers from him today. Is he ashamed that he promised a protective shield around care homes and over 30,000 care home residents have died? Why were 25,000 elderly people discharged back into care homes without being tested?
‘Did he tell Downing Street in March that people discharged from hospital had been tested? It was not until the 15th of April that there was a requirement for testing to take place.’
Hancock replied: ‘These allegations that were put yesterday and repeated by the right honourable gentleman, are serious allegations and I welcome the opportunity to come to the House to put formally on the record that these unsubstantiated allegations are not true.’
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