Tory ministers and staff ‘faced unreasonable vilification’ over partygate – Lord Frost
Ministers and officials “deserve commendation” for their conduct during the Covid crisis despite the partygate scandal, former chief Brexit negotiator Lord Frost has said.
The Conservative peer argued those in Government at the time of the coronavirus emergency had been subject to “largely unreasonable vilification”.
He hailed the courage of people who “turned up to work in those difficult days” despite the fear of serious illness or even death.
Lord Frost made his comments during a debate on the first report of the Covid-19 inquiry, which found the former government had “failed” the public due to “significant flaws” in preparing for a pandemic.
Boris Johnson’s administration became mired in controversy over lockdown-busting gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall, eventually leading the former prime minister to quit as an MP.
‘Unreasonable’
Speaking in Parliament, Lord Frost said: “There has been in my view much largely unreasonable vilification of ministers and officials’ behaviour over the pandemic period.
“And I want to put on record that personally I can’t forget the courage of those who turned up to work in those difficult days, believing at that time they were risking serious illness or even death.
“Those people deserve commendation for doing everything they could at that point to live up to their responsibility to the nation and to keep the government going.”
His comments were criticised by former Labour Cabinet minister Lord Reid of Cardowan, who highlighted the crucial role of healthcare workers “who faced extraordinary challenges on the front line”.
Making reference to lockdown-busting gatherings in the garden of No 10, Lord Reid said: “One previous speaker mentioned the bravery and courage of those who went into Downing Street risking the chance of catching Covid, although as far as I can remember they spent a lot of time in the open air in the garden at Downing Street.
“But the workers in the National Health Service faced that every single day.
“So their sacrifices and dedication cannot be overstated.”
Lord Frost also criticised the inquiry itself, declaring himself “not particularly impressed”.
‘Unsatisfactory’
He said: “We have got the conclusions without any of the workings and I find that methodologically really quite unsatisfactory.”
Among his concerns was the inquiry’s conclusion that “we prepared for the wrong pandemic”.
Lord Frost said: “The report uses those words in its executive summary but it never then repeats them in the main text, which makes one suspicious of course that they are for popular consumption, not actual analysis.
“The report never makes clear why the inquiry has said this. It’s certainly not obvious to me.”
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And David Frost is some sort of disinterested party?! A discreet silence from this failed and utterly talentless political hack would be fitting, but I suppose that’s way too much to hope for!
Deserves commendation? They got everything wrong! We watched COVID hit Italy and they chose to do nothing. UN said to “test test test” so they cancelled routine testing. Belatedly started Serco Test and trace, ignoring NHS labs, and spent billions achieveung nothing. PPE contracts ignored established suppliers with stock, in favour of pub landlords. Same story with ventilators. Then staff in Downing Street were having drunk fueled parties. The unelected bureaucrat, Frost, should be ashamed to have been part of that government. He is lucky that he is beyond the reach of the voter: his presence in the lord’s is… Read more »
Yes and during this time, (PPE contracts for mates), some self interested Tory declared that fraud is not a crime. That doesn’t work for the rest of us of course.
yeah worked through covids in retail couldn
t go anywhere but to work caught covid and got a 200 quid thank you didnt get a party to go with it WTFUnhinged.
Weird!
How did Mr Frost get his leg up to the upper house, he did sod all for brexit. The vilification is for the utter contempt and lies from the head of the government, the PPE contracts, the parties and the most fines at any single venue in the UK. Those fines only happened after the good law project tackled the MET. People in the NHS worked flat out all through, many industries did and then we saw the absolute shower in charge that had taken the UK for mugs. Including the head mug, johnson, who lied to the house and… Read more »
Yeah, the poor devils struggled – it must have been hard carrying all those boxes of booze to the parties.
Yeah, and cleaning the sick off the walls. Oh sorry I forgot. They don’t clean it off only put it on.
Why give the oxygen of publicity to this deluded talentless gobsh*te. This is what you get when you “have enough of experts”. He’s a bottom feeder in a fetid swamp.