Our government needs to admit its coronavirus failings – from PPE to confusion over masks

The Prime Minister’s strategy is clear – tough it out, admit nothing, with brazen denials that policies are too little, too late

The apology was stark: “There is quite obviously a potential for improvement in what we have done.” Sweden’s state epidemiologist, Anders Tagnell, admitted to making errors over its “non-lockdown” strategy.

He also accepted too many people had died too soon and that if Sweden were to face the pandemic again, it would behave differently. With four times the death rate per million of its neighbour Denmark, you might think he would say that, wouldn’t he?

So, why aren’t our twice-as-bad numbers enough to provoke similar contrition, instead of “pride in our record”.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, admitted to not protecting the nation’s elderly population well enough, President Emmanuel Macron accepted France had not been prepared and Italy’s PM, Giuseppe Conte, acknowledged that its hospitals mishandled early treatment. In Britain? Tumbleweed.

OK, we did have epidemiologist and Sage committee member Professor John Edmunds admitting that we should have gone into lockdown sooner, but from our politicians? Neither a smidgeon of humility, nor smudge of apology.

Now, why? From Dominic Cummings to the test-and-trace debacle; from PPE shame to hiding the numbers; from the confusion over masks, schools, public transport and seeing family to the global laughing stock we became as Jacob Rees-Mogg introduced Ikea-style, lockdown-breaking voting queues to Parliament, the strategy is clear: tough it out, admit nothing.

Hundreds of MPs formed a lengthy queue to vote in Parliament (Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Unsurprisingly, this has blown the public’s goodwill, so evident in early lockdown. That goodwill would have embraced the Prime Minister’s bout of Covid-19. Why not be more honest about his condition? Many would sympathise, especially those who have experienced personal tragedy. But he has lost our empathy, particularly through the callousness towards care homes and the craven lying over Cummings.

Instead, we are left with the madness of stricter policies on travel quarantine and masks, with brazen denials that both are months too late. We pretend that the international comparisons we made when our numbers looked better are no longer valid now they look worse, or we refuse to give track-and-trace numbers.

Instead, we ease lockdown, despite not meeting the stated requirements or having the once “vital” app. Why? There will be the mother of inquiries after this.

All involved fear honesty and contrition now equates to future guilt. It is hard to escape the conclusion that we are all being played for fools.