Looking at what else could be done, Sputnik spoke to political commentator Winston McKenzie, in this interview.
Sputnik: How would you judge the government’s handling of the coronavirus? Do you think they’ve been successful in protecting public health and getting rid of the virus?
Winston McKenzie: It's diabolical and the situation's only going to become worse, because those ministers are wet behind the ears. In December, I wrote to Whitehall, and because of knife crime was getting so bad, I said call in the army and put army police keeping forces on the streets. If we had called the army way back in December, we'd have hit the ground running. But what happened?
China was first to go down and now they're first to rise, because they're with it. We could have led the world and I suggested the other day, bring back some of the old prime ministers who know about war and know how to organise. Just look at Dominic Raab - hasn't got a clue. They haven't got the experience in war! We need crisis management.
Sputnik: Yesterday, Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the UK had reached the peak of the coronavirus outbreak. Do you agree with him? Will we see a steady decrease in deaths, or do you think we’ll see a rise in the coming days and weeks?
Winston McKenzie: Oh it’s just all mouth! They're delegating; they're moving the responsibility to the scientists, who can only recommend. We need to be led by soldiers. We need logistics and the army has logistics. They're delegating; they're moving the responsibility of running the country onto just scientists. For goodness sake, half the time scientists don't know what a tin shed looks like at the back of the garden.
All they can do is give their opinion and tell our minister to get on with it. We haven't got single minister or MP who knows what leading is all about. Go get your lieutenants and your army peacekeepers and put Ian Duncan Smith and Gove in charge now.
Sputnik: In your opinion, what more could Britain be doing to better fight the coronavirus? Is there anything you’d like to see from the government that we’re not seeing right now?
Winston McKenzie: Put Ian Duncan Smith in charge to start with and stop delegating - it's all about leadership. I would have thought the fact that so many people are dying every day; it's not just a case of massaging the figures if you like. 100 people a day is 100 people too many.
They need to start at the top and work their way down. For a start, Boris Johnson must forthwith form a war cabinet and if it means bringing back your Camerons and your Blairs and your Browns... hang their past, hang what they've done and bring them back. Even Piers Morgan’s onto it now. Why haven't we brought back some of the old the old faces? That's what we need - experience and the old faces, hands on.
