Brexit prioritised over tackling Covid at start of pandemic, says ex-minister

Lord Bethell says Boris Johnson did ‘everything he could’ to avoid focusing on pandemic in early days of crisis

Brexit was prioritised over tackling Covid-19 in the early days of the outbreak, a former health minister has said, as the inquiry into the UK response to the pandemic gathers pace.

Lord Bethell, who was appointed a health minister in March 2020, the month the UK went into its first lockdown, said Boris Johnson did “everything he could” to avoid focusing on the pandemic.