Johnson claims guidance was ‘misquoted’
BORIS Johnson has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “selectively and misleadingly” quoting from official guidance which said in March that it was “very unlikely” care home residents would become infected with Covid-19.
The Prime Minister and Labour leader clashed over the issue at PMQs in the Commons yesterday, during which Johnson admitted that the number of deaths in the sector had been “too high”.
Figures released this week suggested that care home deaths accounted for some 40% of coronavirus-related fatalities registered in England and Wales in the week ending May 1.
Starmer told MPs the Government had been “too slow to protect people in care homes” and referred to official advice in place until March 12, which said it was “very unlikely” that those receiving care in a care home or the community will become infected.
Johnson replied: “No, it wasn’t true that the advice said that, and actually we brought the lockdown in care homes ahead of the general lockdown.”
The Labour leader then sent a letter to the PM asking him to “correct the record” in the Commons and to “recognise that this was official Government guidance regarding care homes”.
In his reply, Johnson wrote: “I am disappointed that in the House today you chose to quote Public Health England advice selectively and misleadingly, and I stand by my comments.”
The PM pointed to the sentence preceding the one quoted, which said the guidance was “intended for the current position in the UK where there is currently no transmission of Covid-19 in the community”. Johnson said the Labour leader “neglected to provide the critical context at the start of the guidance”.
However, by March 12 there had been 31 coronavirus-related deaths in England, including one in a care home.