UK PM Sunak reportedly said 'just let people die', COVID inquiry hears

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak looks on as he delivers a speech at a college in north London, Britian November 20, 2023. DANIEL LEAL/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was quoted as saying the government should "just let people die" during the COVID-19 pandemic rather than impose a second national lockdown, the inquiry into how Britain handled the crisis heard on Monday.

Patrick Vallance, who was the government's chief scientific adviser during COVID, made a note in his diary on Oct. 25, 2020, about a meeting involving then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Sunak, who was finance minister.