book, affairs in londonjust published my book. did affairs in londonjust published my book, did not dance work? the conclusion book, did not dance work? the conclusion was locked downs were a complete conclusion was locked downs were a complete disaster and i don t think the inquiry complete disaster and i don t think the inquiry is getting at the thing at alt the inquiry is getting at the thing at alt we the inquiry is getting at the thing at all. we had the imperial college of london at all. we had the imperial college of london coming down with fantasy numbers of london coming down with fantasy numbers at of london coming down with fantasy numbers at 450,000 people would die if they numbers at 450,000 people would die if they didn t lockdown. the government deemed immediately lockdown and, of course, we had matt hancock lockdown and, of course, we had matt hancock spreading fear. if you are going hancock spreading fear. if you are going to hancock spreading fea
and it was realised that this number been public, the security advisers said to him in 2021, you have to put this aside and not use it. it had been locked away, now they ve been able to recover it and he says he will hand over. there has also been a separate legal change by the government but that was defeated. the important is this will be passed over and the inquiry will get an insight into those really crucial moments in the pandemic. thanks to damien for that. let s bring our panel back in, jenny kleeman journalist bring our panel back in, jenny kleemanjournalist and bring our panel back in, jenny kleeman journalist and broadcaster to you first. what do you make of the unredacted nature of the whatsapp messages that are going to be handed over now? riff whatsapp messages that are going to be handed over now? be handed over now? of course they should be handed be handed over now? of course they should be handed over. be handed over now? of course they should be handed over. i
decision making process would be expecting their work to be under the greatest amount of scrutiny and the amount that both the government and borisjohnson appears to have resisted handing over these messages astonishes me and i think it makes the country a lots more interested in the granular detail of what was in the granular detail of what was in those messages. they have to trust the inquiry that the inquiry is not going to make public anything other than what is relevant to the inquiry and i trust that that will be the case. but it astonishes me the idea that anyone who was sending messages on whatsapp in government at the time was under any illusion that those messages wouldn t become public one day. that those messages wouldn t become public one day- public one day. interesting. steve hanke, renowned public one day. interesting. steve hanke, renowned economist - public one day. interesting. steve hanke, renowned economist in i public one day. interesting. steve | hanke, renown
a spokesperson for the ex prime minister has said. 0ur political correspondent damian grammaticas has been explaining the significance of the whatsapp messages. it was a period when the government was grappling with the origins of the pandemic, what to do at the start of it, then the first wave, second wave, and even deferred. second wave, and even the third. three lockdowns, this period covers. what the inquiry wants to see on that are the whatsapp messages sent between about two dozen senior government figures. there was a whatsapp group where they could exchange messages and message each other individually. mrjohnson, as prime minister, it included him, his chancellor rishi sunak, health secretary at the time, senior health advisers, senior civil servants, and all of those messages will give an insight into what was going on at the heart of government. now, this phone number, borisjohnson had had it for years and when that fact came out
about 1700 to 6000 lives were saved by the lockdown and to put that in context. by the lockdown and to put that in context, lewis, every year, if the flu season context, lewis, every year, if the flu season takes about 18,500 to 24,800 flu season takes about 18,500 to 24,800 lives in the uk. the policy was a 24,800 lives in the uk. the policy was a complete botchjob 24,800 lives in the uk. the policy was a complete botch job and 24,800 lives in the uk. the policy was a complete botchjob and i don t think the was a complete botchjob and i don t think the inquiry is ever going to -et think the inquiry is ever going to get to think the inquiry is ever going to get to it. think the inquiry is ever going to get to it, the bottom of it. we will see what the get to it, the bottom of it. we will see what the inquiry get to it, the bottom of it. we will see what the inquiry does - get to it, the bottom of it. we will see what the inquiry does get - get to it, the bottom of it.