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Ministers were warned not to bring in Covid interventions ‘too early’, says Rishi Sunak

Covid inquiry: Government failure to anticipate or plan lockdown led to 23,000 deaths

Rishi Sunak stated that ministers were advised against implementing Covid measures "too early" to preserve public confidence.
His testimony follows a report indicating that over 20,000 lives could have been saved in England with a lockdown introduced just one week earlier in March 2020.
As Chancellor, Mr Sunak oversaw the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, which scientists suggested was "highly likely" to have increased Covid infections and deaths.
He defended the scheme at the inquiry, describing it as a "micro-policy" within the broader government strategy for reopening after lockdown.
The ongoing Covid-19 inquiry is scrutinising the government's pandemic response, which resulted in over 220,000 deaths in Britain, and is scheduled to conclude in summer 2026.