UK Lib Dems Call for Independent Probe Into Government's Handling of COVID-19 Crisis

At the moment, the United Kingdom is fifth in terms of fatalities and sixth in confirmed cases in the world, with over 129,000 infected and 17,337 deaths from the coronavirus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and Prince Charles all contracted the disease but managed to recover safely.

Britain's Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday urged to launch an investigation into the way the Cabinet has been handling the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, claiming that Boris Johnson's government had failed to provide medical equipment for the NHS and was slow to respond to the crisis.

"Once we are through this crisis, there will, of course, need to be an independent inquiry to officially review the government’s response to the pandemic, so we can learn the lessons", the party's acting co-leader Sir Ed Davey stated.

Workers wearing protective equipment transport a body in the grounds of the Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif, a temporary morgue set up at a Mosque as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Birmingham, Britain, April 21, 2020.

© REUTERS / CARL RECINE

"The inquiry must have the strongest possible powers given the shocking failures on protective equipment for staff and the slow response of the government – to get to the truth and to give Boris Johnson the opportunity to answer the increasingly serious questions", he stressed.

Opposition Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has also criticised the government for its slow response and called for looking back at the situation after the crisis ends.

Commenting on the allegation, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is now presiding at the Cabinet meetings during Johnson's recovery, stated he won't commit to a public inquiry into the handling of the virus.

There have also been numerous accusations by politicians and the media, claiming that Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not properly address the pandemic in Britain.

At the moment there are 17,337 fatalities from COVID-19, according to official data, however, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday announced that the real extent of the coronavirus-related death toll in England and Wales was over 40 percent higher than daily figures indicated by the government as of 10 April - which means that the situation may be worse.

NHS Providers, the organisation that manages all the regional NHS trusts, stated last week that medics in the UK are facing a shortage of personal protective equipment - while supplies are reportedly being shipped from the country to the EU.