Sunak did not see email warning about risk of Covid infections, inquiry told

Email from Treasury official said reopening measures in summer 2020 were at ‘riskier end of spectrum’

Rishi Sunak has told the Covid inquiry he did not see an email from Treasury officials warning that measures to reopen the economy in summer 2020 could cause a rise in Covid infections and risked delaying the return of schools.

Sunak, who was chancellor at the time, told the hearing that he had no recollection of government scientists warning that the phased package of measures, before the arrival of the “eat out to help out” hospitality scheme, risked pushing the reinfection rate, or R, above 1, meaning a rise in infections.