PM wrong to have made Covid lockdowns the law, says Leicester & Rutland police boss
The PCC says No 10 would have avoided recent scrutiny if lockdowns were not imposed
Last updated 18th Jan 2022
Leicester & Rutland's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) says No 10 would have avoided recent criticism if the Government did not legally bring in Covid lockdowns.
PCC Rupert Matthews, says the Prime Minister should have persuaded the public to abide by Covid restrictions rather than legally force them, which only made matters worse at the time and is now making things difficult for No 10.
It comes after former chief advisor to the Prime Minister, Dominic Cummings, said Boris Johnson knew about the "bring your own booze" party at Downing Street in May 2020, which No 10 has since denied.
PCC Matthews said: “I’m on record and still believe that it’s much better to persuade people of what they should be doing rather than to force them.
I think taking legislation and criminalising behaviour is taking a sledge hammer to crack a nut. It can breed resentment amongst a population, and of course you then get incidents such as this.”
The Conservative police boss for Leicester & Rutland did say that the Prime Minister's actions on 20 May 2020 could be explained to some degree, but those who attended would certainly be under less pressure if the Government focused on guidance rather than laws.
“He thought that the event he took part in was moving a business meeting outside into the fresh air which, to be honest, I’ve done - because being in the fresh air is a much more healthy environment when it comes to Covid, and then they served wine at the business meeting, which I must admit I haven’t done.
"Public health is about persuading people, if you persuade people they’re much more likely to stick to the rules than try and find ways to evade it and have a secret party in the back garden and so on, which is of course what’s been happening, and if you persuaded everyone, it’s much less likely to happen to be honest.”