Harlow Labour’s Chris Vince says Covid-19 inquiry shows government “not fit for office”
Health / Tue 7th Nov 2023 at 01:59pm
THE LEADER of Harlow Labour (and parliamentary candidate) has responded to recent revelations at the Covid-19 inquiry.
A Labou party spokesperson said: “Famiies who lost loved ones will be shocked and appalled to learn of the callous disregard for their older relatives by Conservative government Ministers during the pandemic. It is horrific to know that the lives of those over eighty were not considered worth saving.
It’s even more sickening to know that many of those who sat around the cabinet table during those dark days remain there still today. None more so than current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was Chancellor then, and who’s treasury team were labelled the “pro death squad” by fellow Conservatives. Yet every day more evidence emerges from the Covid inquiry that exposes a Government that was chaotic, callous and dangerously out of its depth.
Victims’ families and the public will be rightly angered to learn that the Prime Minister, Mr Sunak, who promised integrity and accountability, now appears to be putting his own political concerns ahead of the interests of the country by blocking evidence to the Covid Inquiry.
“Labour have called for this inquiry to be open and honest so that the government can learn the lessons of this crisis and families can get the answers they deserve”.
Chris Vince, Labour candidate for Harlow said:
‘The pandemic was a hugely difficult time for everyone, with many people losing loved ones and many more being unable to visit family at times of crisis.
It was clearly a difficult time to lead the country, but this government showed time and time again that they were not up to the task. More than that, they put their own self interest first.
This shows, yet again that the Conservative Party is unfit for office. Our country desperately needs the change that only Labour can deliver.
That’s why I join my party’s call for an open and honest inquiry. It’s the least that families in Harlow deserve.’
David Vincent
2023-11-07 15:30:12
Mr flip-flop Chris Vince told YourHarlow in September 2022 that he wanted to scrap the the next local election saying "it would be prudent to cancel the 2023 local elections thereby saving tens of thousands of pounds of tax payers money". Fast forward to November 2023 and Vince pulls the rug from under the local election consultation that would have saved around £399,000 over a 10 year period. See 2022 news item https://www.yourharlow.com/2022/09/20/harlow-labour-call-for-next-years-local-elections-to-be-cancelled/
Darren
2023-11-07 16:02:41
Unfortunately, there is no political party fit for office in my opinion. All seem to use words to try and look better than others (aka seek brownie points). All also put money and themselves before the people of this country. I trust none of them i'm afraid.
Adam
2023-11-07 16:21:29
Neither are Labour they wanted longer and harder lockdowns. Most of the restrictions were pushed by the public sector unions especially the teachers unions. all for nothing, we should have done nothing at all for a cold.
Mark Ingall
2023-11-07 18:06:41
Not sure why David Vincent is commenting about Harlow's voting schedules under an article about the COVID enquiry. What I am sure about is the disgusting attitude of the Conservatives.during the pandemic that caused.the unnecessary deaths of so many. I lost a.friend, who was elderly but had so much more to give. Even fellow Conservatives called Mr Sunak's team the "death squad".
James Leppard
2023-11-07 18:41:35
Mark Ingall. Re David Vincent; wrong post; right comment. Whilst we are on the subject of the pandemic, could you explain why Harlow Council put the entire workforce of HTS on furlough and, alone among Essex (and no doubt many other councils) did not undertake any external environmental maintenance works, e.g. cutting grass and hedges that could (and were almost everywhere else) have been undertaken outside in a safe, socially distanced fashion? I think we all know who is "not fit for office".
Pedro
2023-11-07 18:53:20
If anyone thinks Labour would have done a better job during COVID you are sadly mistaken, As for Starmer and his escapades in Durham, clearly we will never know the truth.
Kim Oconnor
2023-11-07 19:22:36
James Leppard, this epidemic is not about what was done, or about money... Your government should of shut down a lot earlier, there's no getting away from that.. There for the vaccination s would of been rolled out a lot sooner... The delay to not lock down sooner, and the delay to not protect the elderly as soon as pandemic was known is unforgivable, and it wasn't just the elderly, it was the disabled people all so, disabled people with complex needs, this list goes on.... disabled people with complex needs.... And of course all of us ,that lived through the fear of catching this, because there was no vaccination in the beginning... To slow to act, to slow to protect its people... truly shocking what's coming out in theses trials..
James Leppard
2023-11-07 19:29:34
Kim O'Connor your comment has nothing to do with my post. Of course, the UK was the only country affected by the pandemic and we all had ample precedents. I travelled to 5 countries during COVID and can assure you nobody had all the answers as to how to manage. However, thanks to be free of EU bureaucracy, the UK was at the forefront of developing effective vaccines.
Kim Oconnor
2023-11-07 19:52:20
James Leppard, This government was to slow to shut down. No one said we weren't at the forefront of vaccination s, eventually... I'm saying it all should of happened a lot sooner.. right at the beginning..
Hugo
2023-11-07 19:55:05
"If anyone thinks Labour would have done a better job during COVID you are sadly mistaken". OOOOOOHHHH!! Can I have a go at your crystal ball please? It must be so good, I want to know next week's lottery numbers. Or does your very specific portal into another dimension not work like that. Does it only work within the parameters that exist in your head? The fact is we had the worst possible leaders who were more interested in helping the Daily Mail and Telegraph sales numbers than saving people's lives (https://bylinetimes.com/2023/10/31/boris-johnson-prioritised-views-of-the-telegraph-over-the-science-his-director-of-comms-tells-inquiry/). Elderly people were viewed as disposable, and mortality rates were higher among people with disabilities. All the while, Boris Johnson was bored with his job as prime minister and more focused on writing a book to clear the heavy costs of divorce.(https://inews.co.uk/opinion/covid-inquiry-scandalous-disregard-disabled-people-leaders-2733969). And yet, there are still some who believe the myth that we were saved because of Brexit, even though this myth has been discredited many, many times. I guess if it is repeated enough, it may come true one day.
Kim Oconnor
2023-11-07 20:04:46
Well said Hugo...I had a disabled granddaughter with complex needs, we lost her in the February, she was 10.. we will never ever know, if covid was the cause, because of so many other issues with Rett syndrome. We will never ever know..... They were more worried about the economy, then protecting us all.
Mark Ingall
2023-11-07 20:15:22
Mr Leppard. Rightly or wrongly Harlow Council followed the publicly available government advice to the letter. What Harlow Council didn't do was what the Conservatives were doing off camera. Boris Johnson "let the bodies pile high", Boris Johnson "COVID is only killing the over eighties, they should accept their fate" and Rishi Sunak earning his team the title of "the death squad". And all the while telling the rest of us to lock down, while they partied, drank to excess and carried on sordid affairs in their place.of work and at taxpayers expense. And of course let's not overlook the billions of pounds your party gave away to their friends, family, even their pub landlord for PPE that was desperately needed, but turned out unfit for purpose. Remember the Queen, alone in Westminster, mourning her husband while your lot were still hung over from partying the night before?
James Leppard
2023-11-07 20:44:47
Mr Ingall, thank you for your reply, of which only the first sentence has any relevance to the issue. Following ti the letter shows a complete lack of imagination or initiative- not that Harlow Labour could ever be accused of showing imagination or initiative: fair play where due. As to the rest, off topic, you show too much of an inclination towards an aspiring Wordsworth : "wandering lonely as a cloud" without his aesthetics or creative genius. Given the performance and response of other Essex councils, I believe the overall verdict would be: not good enough. Needs to try harder.
Tiredoffailedpoliticalnorms
2023-11-07 21:58:47
Has anyone else noticed the “political” debate here on all sides is about how incompetent the other party is/was.. and you wonder why local engagement and voting turnout is so low? As for the tone an bullying tactics, it’s quite sickening, particularly talking about you Mr Leppard!! Pompous and condescending, I see it’s Wordsworth tonight, makes a change from the Latin! As to your final conclusion hmm…..Medice, cura te ipsum.
Adam
2023-11-07 22:08:07
I watched the council meetings in covid on youtube. Nothing convinced me more that we need to move beyond political parties and government having any say over our lives more. Mark ranted and raved like a revolutionary student at every opportunity about the government not doing enough about covid etc. While Andrew Johnson saw people playing in a play ground (for all he knows they might have been confined to a flat for the other 23 hours of the day) and got the council to close play grounds. The meetings were hardly inspiring the council were not the best of us but more appropriately described as the mediocre at best -which it still is today. Covid was never a threat to most, what happened was the weak politicians and civil service were bounced in to locking down then could not see a way out. The over the top political reaction to covid has damaged children's education (mostly school closures were pressured by the education unions). The NHS became covid only effectively hence why we have 7 Million on the waiting list and the political NHS staff after the country did everything they asked and sacrificed for repaid the country by going on strike. We printed tens of billions that caused the cost of living crisis thanks to inflation. We locked millions of the poorest in poor housing damaging them no end while ignoring 3Million self employed. As we tracked covid deaths so closely why no one now is talking about the excess deaths way in excess of the covid era is alarming as those are a direct result of lockdowns and actions taken. But perhaps easier to ignore - it never was a zero sum game. One good thing though people are waking up to the fact that politicians of all parties do not care about the average person. In fact I am pretty sure throughout history there has never been a ruling elite who cared for the people.
Mark Gough
2023-11-08 16:38:57
I'm afraid Chris this comment is laughable! If your lot had had their way and we'd have had Labour in Government since 2019 can you imagine the mess we'd have been in with the likes of Corbyn, McDonnell and Abacus Abbott in charge! What a flipping disaster that would have been. Not that the likes of Cummings and Hancock covered themselves in glory! Furthermore, did we really need to spend millions of pounds of taxpayers money on this "let's stitch up Boris" review when we're in the middle of a cost of living crisis?! Mark Gough - Reform UK
James Leppard
2023-11-08 22:42:21
Mark Gough makes some sound observations.
Tracy George
2023-11-09 05:25:03
I find it astounding that anyone in this current climate can actually still back the conservatives. People are very blinkered for sure, or perhaps just stupid. What an absolute joke this country has become and 100% down to how the conservative gov has run this country for the last 14 years. They have pretty much handled everything badly and broken things that were doing ok. I honestly cannot think of a single thing that has got better under their leadership. I have never seen so many cons MP lie the way they have done, create division and hate the way they try to shirk off all responsibility of mistakes made. Bunch of lying, corrupt, egotistical people and we deserve better in whatever shape that comes.
Toby Le Rone
2023-11-09 10:19:11
Is Chris Vince having a laugh here at our expense ? both him personally, & the Labour Party have been unfit for office for years (by choice I hasten to add). All this guy appears to do do is "Slam" ;o) every Tory statement & initiative, & like the good Captain Hindsight does... but offers no Labour altenanative ??? Do Labour have any policies other than "tax the rich" which is essentially theft ? & Should the local Labour group in Harlow Town now give up & call it a day. As its the same leftie rabble at every "Protest" attended by 8 lefties. Why have Labour been soooo unelecteble for so long ? & is it legal to be that bad ?
19 Comments for Harlow Labour’s Chris Vince says Covid-19 inquiry shows government “not fit for office”: