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Keir Starmer Accuses Boris Johnson of ‘Suppressing’ Evidence on Economic Impact of Lockdown Levels Amid Clamor for Release of ‘Secret’ File
- Sir Keir Starmer challenged Boris Johnson to publish Covid’s economic file
- He accused the prime minister of ‘trying to suppress the evidence of what is really happening’
- He said if the prime minister does not publish the document this week, Labor will force a vote on it.
Sir Keir Starmer today challenged Boris Johnson to release a ‘secret’ dossier showing the full economic impact of the coronavirus while accusing the prime minister of ‘trying to suppress the evidence of what is really happening’.
The government released information ahead of last night’s vote on the rollout of the new Covid-19 tiered system as it tried to win over the conservative rebels.
But Sir Keir said the information released was “scant and nonsensical” as he demanded that Johnson turn over the “complete file” that officials are said to have compiled but withheld.
Sir Keir said that if Johnson does not submit to the pressure and releases the report this week, Labor will present a vote in the House of Commons in an attempt to force his hand.
Sir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of “ trying to suppress the evidence of what is really going on in the economy ” when he demanded that the prime minister release a secret government dossier on the impact of the new tiered system.
MPs voted in favor of Johnson’s tiered system last night, but the prime minister suffered a Conservative rebellion when 53 Conservatives voted against the measures.
MPs yesterday voted in favor of Johnson’s tiered system by 291 votes to 78, a majority of 213, but 53 conservative rebels challenged the prime minister to vote against the measures as Labor abstained.
The rebels demanded before the vote that the government publish a full impact assessment of the new system, showing not only the effect the measures would have on the spread of the virus, but also on the economy and broader health problems.
The ministers released a report, but critics dismissed it as too comprehensive and lacking the details that had been requested.
Anger among Conservative MPs was compounded when The Times reported the existence of a Covid-19 sectoral impact panel prepared by Whitehall officials that had been kept private.
The dossier on the impact on nearly 40 sectors of the economy was said to have labeled aerospace, automotive, retail, hospitality, tourism, arts and sports as red. warning of major job cuts and income losses.
In an article published today in the same newspaper, Sir Keir said there must be “ maximum transparency ” in the government’s approach to tackling the coronavirus, as he asked Johnson to publish the dashboard in its entirety.
He said: “In that context, it was alarming to read in the Times yesterday that the government is trying to suppress the evidence of what is really happening in the economy.
‘The government published a thin and nonsensical report, while sitting on the full dossier it has prepared. That is no way to inspire confidence in parliament or in the country.
Sir Keir said Johnson “must do the right thing and publish all the modeling that he has done” on the impact of the tier system and that he must “do it this week.”
“If it doesn’t, Labor is ready to force a vote on the issue and give Tory MPs a chance to join us in removing the evidence,” he said.
“I don’t want to go down that path, but I am willing to do it in the national interest.”
Sir Keir is considering using an arcane process in the House of Commons called a “humble speech” to the Queen that would force the Government to hand over the documents if the majority of MPs demand it.
Opposition MPs have successfully used the parliamentary device in recent years to force the government to publish documents related to Brexit.
