Boris Johnson dismisses ‘irresponsible’ Labour calls for a public inquiry into Covid crisis to start in JUNE as MP says he lost ‘an entire generation’ of his family and needs to know why

• Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer clashed over demands for quick public inquiry
• The PM said it will be ‘irresponsible’ to distract ministers and officials from work
• Labour MP says he lost ‘entire generation’ of family and needs to know why 

Boris Johnson today dismissed ‘irresponsible’ Labour calls for a public inquiry to start in June – as an MP insisted he needs to know why he lost an ‘entire generation’ of his family.

Mr Johnson fended off fresh demands from Sir Keir Starmer for a probe to be launched soon as they clashed at PMQs. 

The premier said ministers and officials must keep focusing all their ‘energies’ on fighting the pandemic, although he stressed there will be a time to learn lessons.

Sir Keir said he wanted to see a ‘full public inquiry’ into the handling of the pandemic ‘as soon as restrictions lift’ – with the government’s roadmap suggesting that will be June 21.

And his stance was echoed by Labour MP Afzal Khan, who said he had lost an ‘entire generation’ of his family.

Boris Johnson (right) fended off fresh demands from Sir Keir Starmer for a probe to be launched soon as they clashed at PMQs

Labour MP Afzal Khan said he had lost an ‘entire generation’ of his family and needed to know whether anything could have been done

The Manchester Gorton MP said: ‘A year into this crisis and more than 126,000 lives have been lost.

‘Behind this staggering figure are millions of grieving loved ones.

‘In my family, we have lost an entire generation.

‘I couldn’t hold my mum’s hand as she lay dying and I recently lost both my father and mother-in-law within just days of one another.

‘Grieving families like mine want and deserve to understand what happened, and if anything could have been done to prevent this tragedy.’

Asked to commit to launching a full public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic as soon as restrictions are lifted, Mr Johnson offered his ‘sympathies and sorrow’ for Mr Khan’s loss.

The PM added: ‘His experience is one, as he rightly says, that has been shared by far too many families up and down the country and that’s why we’re of course committed – as soon as it’s right to do so, as soon as it wouldn’t be an irresponsible diversion of the energies of the key officials involved – to an inquiry to learn the lessons, to make sure nothing like this can ever happen again.’

Sir Keir said he wanted to see a ‘full public inquiry’ into the handling of the pandemic ‘as soon as restrictions lift’ – with the government’s roadmap suggesting that will be June 21

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