A response to Steerpike’s review of Michael Gove’s lockdown claims
From our UK edition
Steerpike ran the rule over Michael Gove's article in the Times in which he argued ‘lockdown was the only way to stop the NHS being broken’. Here, the Cabinet Office responds to Steerpike: 1. Claim: Steerpike claims Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, used his essay in the Times on 28 November to set out 'his new argument: the only strategy for stopping the NHS from being overwhelmed now is the government's new tougher three-tier system'. Rebuttal: the argument that social distancing and non-pharmaceutical interventions are necessary for protecting the NHS is not a new argument. It has been at the heart of the UK Government’s approach since spring and is an approach shared by all the devolved administrations in the UK.
