Cross party group - UK government failed to learn from other countries about how to combat Covid-19

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams

A cross party group of MPs has published the biggest review of the Government’s handling of coronavirus to date which concludes that it failed to look to, or learn from, other countries in its handling of the pandemic.

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams, the vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus, set up in July to conduct the rapid inquiry into the UK government’s handling of the pandemic, said: “Our research involved testimony from 65 witnesses in over 200 hours of live evidence sessions and received just under 3,000 separate evidence submissions, since the summer.

“The purpose of the report is to inform the Government’s decision-making as we move forward.

"We urge them to reflect on the evidence in the report including how the pandemic has been managed more effectively in other countries.

"We have identified 44 recommendations to the Government which we hope they will engage with us on and learn lessons from.

“The central objective of the report is to save lives, and to save lives is to save livelihoods.

“By working cross-party and taking evidence from with scientists, academics, clinicians, civil society and individuals and families affected by Covid, we can help the Government to do what we need it to do at this time of national crisis, listen and learn.”

You can read the report here

The report recommends that the UK government looks to other countries, their experiences of handling MERS and SARS epidemics, and implements the measures that have resulted in a much more successful handling of the pandemic.

The report references "English exceptionalism’ in the UK’s approach” and that “there’s no doubt there was a delay in seeking advice from those countries, including Italy, where this experience had already happened”.

The APPG is chaired by Layla Moran MP with Mrs Abrahams, Dr Dan Poulter MP, Clive Lewis MP, Caroline Lucas MP, Dr Philippa Whitford MP, Liz Saville-Roberts MP, Munira Wilson MP, and Barbara Keeley MP as vice-chairs.

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