Responding to the figures published by the ONS showing the number of deaths linked to coronavirus has risen over 30,000, the highest official toll yet reported in Europe, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Every single one of these deaths is a tragedy, leaving tens of thousands of loved ones grieving.
“With the death toll in the UK now the highest in Europe, the Prime Minister and his government need to be straight with people about why they were so slow to lockdown, slow to ramp up testing, and slow to support care homes.
“As the Government begins to look at relaxing the lockdown measures, they must be transparent with the public. The figures announced today will leave many understandably worried about some of the measures that have been or will be taken, and the only proper way to reassure them will be to publish in full the evidence Ministers use for whatever they propose later this week.
“The figures released this morning are heartbreaking, but also further demonstrate the need for a public inquiry into the Government’s response to the coronavirus crisis. The British public will want to know whether the Government could have done more and they deserve the answer to that question.”