Riśi Sūnac mst stop trayñ t hîd evidns fṛm ɖ Covid inqîri
(Transcription of an Observer article of 4 June 2023)
Ɖ public inṭrest dmandz ɖ fl dscloźr v ẃt wnt on insd guvnmnt jrñ ǎr dedliist pīstîm imrjnsi in mor ɖn a snć̣ri
Súnde, 4 Jūn 2023
It z marct in caḷndrz arnd Wsminstr n Ẃîthōl az a de t dred. On 13 Jūn, ɖ public inqîri intu ɖ hanḍlñ v ɖ pandemic wl start tecñ oṛl evidns. A pṛseśn v ɖoz at ɖ hart v guvnmnt dsiźntecñ n blundr-mcñ wl b inteṛgetd undr oʈ abt ɖer ax́nz n inax́nz. Heɖr Halit, ɖ rtîrd juj in ɖ ćer, z sd t b dis’pôntd ɖt ś dd nt mc lord ćīf justis. Yt ɖr z śrli no mor sgnificnt rǒl in hr lîn v wrc ɖn invstgetñ, pasñ jujmnt n drw̃ lésnz fṛm ɖ pformns v guvnmnt jrñ ɖ dedliist pīstîm imrjnsi in mor ɖn a snć̣ri.
Ɖs inqziśn z nt gwñ t b a drî n bludlis x’sîz. Ɖ formiḍbl juj z adoptñ a tec-no-priznrz aproć. W nǒ ɖs fṛm ɖ advans qsćnz ɖ inqîritīm hz bn sndñ ǎt t ɖoz hu wl b xamind.
Gz wn scorćr t Boris Jonsn: “In or arnd ōtm 2020, dd y stet ɖt y wd rɖr ‘let ɖ bodiz pîl hî’ ɖn ordr anɖr locdǎn, or wrdz t ɖt ifct?” Gz anɖr: “Plīz cnfrm ẃɖr in Marć 2020 (or arnd ɖt pirịd), y sjstd t sīńr sivl srvnts n advîzrz ɖt y b injctd wɖ Covid-19 on teḷviźn t demnstret t ɖ public ɖt it dd nt pǒz a ʈret?” Gz a ʈrd zinger: “Dd y se on or arnd 22 Sptmbr 2020 ɖt y flt ɖt Sej hd ‘mnipyletd’ y intu impozñ ɖ frst locdǎn?”
Ledi Halit c’recli intndz t brñ an intns scrūṭni t ɖ conduct v ǎr rūlrz n ɖ calibr v ɖ YC stet jrñ ɖ pandemic. Sm v ɖ ptisipnts me imrj wɖ ɖer steṭs brniśt; uɖrz hv ampl rīzn t b firfl v ɖ impact on ɖer repyteśnz v rmorslis evidnsgaɖ̇rñ abt ɖ mni ʈñz ɖt wnt roñ jrñ a crîsis ɖt cost so mni livz. Toriz śivr ɖt ɖ inqîri, ẃć z nt dy t cmplit its oṛl hírñz untl ɖ sumr v 2026, wl hōnt ɖer parti fr yirz t cm.
Xplenñ ẃt hapnd n ẃ z a moṛl dyti t ɖ b’rivd n ispeṣ́li t ɖoz wɖ cōz t ʈnc ɖt luvd wnz mt hv svîvd hd ǎr cuntri bn betr priperd fr ɖ pandemic n mor ebli guvnd jrñ it. Ɖs inqîri canot brñ enwn bac t lîf. Ɖ srvis it cn pform fr victimz hz bn iḷstretd bî rlịr inqîriz sć az ɖoz intu ɖ Hilzḅra dzastr, ɖ Bludi Súnde cilñz n ɖ cntaṃnetd-blud scandl. Wn v ɖ vîtl fuñśnz v ɖs public inqîri z t gv a vôs t ɖ b’rivd n s’plî a form v justis bî forsñ dsiźn-mcrz t gv acǎnt n tec rsponsbiḷti fr ẃt ɖe dd.
Ɖoz hu fel t lrn fṛm hisṭri r dūmd t rpit it. A comprihnsiv inqest intu ɖ pandemic z isnśl t impruv ǎr ćansz v avôdñ a rpit v ɖ hymn, sośl n ic̣nomic c’laṃtiz inflictd bî Covid-19. Sm qsćn ɖ prṗs v ɖs inqîri on ɖ grǎndz ɖt ɖ lésnz hv olrdi bn lrnt. I wś I cd b confidnt v ɖt. At Wsminstr n in Ẃîthōl, lésnlrnñ hz tecn a vri distnt ʈrd ples t arscuṿrñ n xksmunġrñ. Ɖ insd acǎnts w hv bn pṛvîdd wɖ so far, fṛm ɖ lîcs v Doṃnic Cumñz n Mát Hancoc, hv bn slf-pṛmotñ n slf-srvñ. Ɖ inqîri z ɖ oṗtyṇti t gaɖr tstiṃni fṛm ɖ fl cast v witṇsz n cmpel ɖ pṛdux́n v ɖ intîṛti v ɖ evidns. Absnt ɖt, w w’nt gt ẃt w nīd, ẃć z an unḍstandñ v ẃ so mni vîtl armz v ɖ stet cract undr ɖ preśr v ɖ pandemic n ɖ sntr wz ofn in cmplit meltdǎn.
T b śr ɖt ɖ inqîri gts at ɖ hol truʈ, it z criticl ɖt Ledi Halit privelz in hr batl wɖ ɖ guvnmnt t mc it hand ovr mtirịl ɖt it dz’nt wont hr t si. Ɖ imīɉt pônt v dspyt z a cáś v txts n ẂtsAp meṣjz btwn Boris Jonsn n 40 v hiz ɖen leftennts, amñ ɖm Riśi Sūnac, alñ wɖ ɖ contents v 24 not-bcs v dayriz ɖt h cept ẃl at Numbr 10. Ɖ Cabiṇt Ofis hz tecn ɖ xtrordnri step v gwñ t cort t trî t bloc ɖ juj’z dmand t si ɖs mtirịl.
Nwn I hv spocn t cn ʈnc v a presidnt fr a guvnmnt sīcñ t ʈwort a rqst fr evidns fṛm an ofiśl inqîri ɖt ɖ guvnmnt itslf set p.
Ministrz mst ʈnc smʈñ hyj z at stec t lōnć a gambit ɖt lcs so dredfl. Grūps reprizntñ b’rivd faṃliz r crayñ btreyl n ɖ opziśn z mcñ akześnz v a cuvr-p. Most līgl opińn ʈncs ɖ guvnmnt wl g dǎn t a hymilietñ dfit bcz ɖ inqîri wz set p wɖ a statytri rīmit ɖt gvz Ledi Halit a swīpñ oʈoṛti t dmand ɖ pṛdux́n v evidns. “Ɖ’r gwñ t lūz,” sz wn sīńr Tori. “Īvn in ɖ unlîcli ivnt ɖt ɖe win in cort, ɖe wl stl lūz bcz ɖe wl lc gilti in ɖ îz v public opińn.”
Ɖ Cabiṇt Ofis cntndz ɖt it wonts t dnî axes t ɖ Jonsn mtirịl bcz it z “ireḷvnt” t ɖ inqîri. Ɖt’s nt fr it t dsîd. It z fr ɖ juj t juj ẃt z ptnṣ́li vałbl t hr invstgeśnz. Anɖr v ɖ guvnmnt’s cntnśnz z ɖt it hz a dyti t pṛtct “ɖ priṿsi” v poḷtiśnz n ofiślz. Ɖt dz’nt woś îɖr. Ɖ juj nīdz t nǒ ɖ contxt in ẃć ci actrz wr oṗretñ at ɖ tîm ẃn big cōlz hd t b md. W olrdi hv gd rīzn t ʈnc ɖt ɖ stet v Mr Jonsn’z prsnl lîf z xtrimli reḷvnt t ɖt. W nǒ ɖt h wz fîṇlîzñ a mesi dvors n scraḅlñ abt t fînans it ẃn ɖ pandemic startd. It z abṣlutli l’jitiṃt fr ɖ juj t b inṭrestd in “ɖ dgri v atnśn gvn t ɖ imrjns v Covid-19 in rli 2020 bî ɖ ɖen prîm̦inistr”.
Ɖ guvnmnt clemz ɖt handñ ovr ɖs mtirịl wl set “a denjṛs presidnt”. Ɖ arğmnt gz ɖt sivl srvnts wl stop gvñ franc advîs n ministrz w’nt ingej in candid dbets fr fir ɖt prîṿt xćenjz wl b md public in ɖ fyćr. I mt hv mor simṗʈi wr it nt fr ɖ fact ɖt ministrz constntli līc insd inḟmeśn ẃn ɖe ʈnc it sūts ɖer inṭrests. Ɖ s’pozd dyti t rspct ɖ conḟdnśiaḷti v prîṿt convseśnz z olso reğlrli btreid ẃn poḷtiśnz bañ ǎt ɖer memwarz.
So mć fr ɖ guvnmnt’s flimzi prītxts fr atmtñ t hîd ɖs mtirịl. Ẃt n hu z ɖ Cabiṇt Ofis trayñ t pṛtct? Ɖ meṣjz n dayriz me cnten stuf ɖt z xcrūśietñli imbaṛsñ fr Mr Jonsn, bt h hz nǎ dn a rvrs ferit bî seyñ h’z hapi fr ɖ juj t hv ol v it. Ɖ dsgrest formr prîm̦inistr probbli hz les t fir fṛm ɖs inqîri ɖn sm uɖrz, f onli bcz hiz repyteśn hz olrdi hit rocbotm. Ɖr z a setld cnsnss ɖt ɖ pandemic wz dedlịr ɖn it nīd hv bn bcz h wz so yslis at mcñ dsiźnz n prizîdd ovr sć a ceoticli dsfuñśnl reźīm at Numbr 10.
Ɖr r grǎndz t sspct ɖt ɖ Jonsn cáś cntenz ʈñz ɖt ofiślz r añśs t cīp cnsild. Ɖ xpoźr rlịr in ɖ yir v Mát Hancoc’s ẂtsAp meṣjz wz aktli uncumftbl fr ɖ cabiṇtsecṛtri, Sîmn Ces, hu wz śoun fîndñ it “hlerịs” ɖt travlrz wr biyñ “loct p” in “śūbox” rūmz in qoṛntīnhotelz. Ɖ mtirịl z olso hîli lîcli t cnten stuf ɖt srvñ ministrz d’nt wont in ɖ public dmen. “Mî hunć z ɖt Sūnac or smwn els stl in guvnmnt fīlz at risc,” rmarcs a formr membr v ɖ cabiṇt. Ɖ prîm̦inistr n hiz ppl r clirli nrṿs ɖt ɖ juj wl nxt dmand sît v ol hiz pandemic txts n ẂtsAp meṣjz. It wd nt lc gd fr him wr it, fr instns, t b rvild ɖt Mr Sūnac wz wornd in advans ɖt hiz Īt-Ǎt-t-Hlp-Ǎt-ɖ-Vîṛs subṣdîzd mīlz ẃīz wd b ɖ plegspredr ɖt it trnd ǎt t b.
Ɖ truʈ abt ɖt n evrʈñ els abt ɖ inr wrcñz v guvnmnt jrñ ɖ pandemic mst b bròt t lît. Ɖ pônt v a public inqîri z t g dīp n b ʈura, f’renzic n unflinćñ. Ledi Halit z intîrli rît t dmand axes t eni evidns ɖt me b prtinnt t hr vîṭli importnt wrc, n ɖ guvnmnt z roñ n lcs despṛt trayñ t cnsil it. W mst hv fl dscloźr t cīp ɖ public feʈ n srv ɖ public inṭrest.
• • •
