Rishi Sunak apologises to bereaved families as he appears before Covid inquiry

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry (Picture: UK Covid-19 Inquiry/PA)

The British prime minister said he is “deeply sorry to all those who lost loved ones” during the pandemic as he opened his day-long evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Rishi Sunak told chairwoman Heather Hallett it is “important that we learn the lessons so that we can be better prepared in the future”.

The Downing Street incumbent served as chancellor during the coronavirus outbreak and was responsible for implementing the furlough scheme and the Eat Out To Help Out discount hospitality scheme.

After being sworn in on Monday at the west London hearing, Mr Sunak addressed the suffering experienced by bereaved families during the pandemic.

He said: “I just wanted to start by saying how deeply sorry I am to all of those who lost loved ones, family members, through the pandemic, and also all those who suffered in various different ways throughout the pandemic and as a result of the actions that were taken.

“I’ve thought a lot about this over the past couple of years.

“It is important that we learn the lessons so that we can be better prepared in the future.

“It is in that spirit and with enormous respect for all of those who are affected that I’m here today.

“I look forward to giving evidence in the spirit of constructive candour to help the inquiry with its deliberations," he said. 

Protesters outside the UK Covid-19 Inquiry at Dorland House in London, where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is giving evidence (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

After providing his apology, Mr Sunak was quizzed by lead counsel Hugo Keith KC about why he had not given the inquiry access to WhatsApp communications from around the time of the pandemic.

Mr Sunak said it was because he had changed his phone “multiple times over the last few years” and that he was “not a prolific user” of WhatsApp.

He said WhatsApp was used “primarily” for communicating with his private office and “anything that was of significance” in those conversations would have been “recorded officially by my civil servants”.

Mr Sunak is giving evidence as part of Module 2 of the inquiry, which is looking at decision-making during the pandemic.

His appearance follows two days of evidence given by former prime minister Boris Johnson last week, with former British health secretary Matt Hancock and Mr Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings among those to have addressed the hearing.