Covid inquiry live: Priti Patel admits policing of Sarah Everard vigil was ‘totally inappropriate’

Ex-home secretary says police generally struck right balance between protest and Covid restrictions

Covid inquiry roundup: Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings provide worrying insight into No 10

Dame Priti Patel has admitted to the Covid inquiry that the policing of a vigil for murdered marketing executive Sarah Everard was “totally inappropriate”.

The former home secretary said she was “dismayed” by the policing of the vigil in early 2021. The Metropolitan Police have since apologised and paid damages to two of those who were arrested.

However, Dame Priti said she felt the police generally struck the right balance between enforcing coronavirus restrictions and upholding people’s right to protest – despite such matters feeling “uncomfortable” at the time.

Earlier today, former top police chief Martin Hewitt criticised localised Covid rules, the speed at which they changed, and the tier system of different regulations for different areas of the country.

He told the inquiry that localised tiers made it “incredibly difficult for even a perfectly law-abiding and committed citizen to understand precisely what that meant for them in their own personal circumstances”, while having different regulations “on opposite sides of the same road” made policing more difficult.

Jun Pang, the policy and campaigns officer at Liberty, is also giving evidence to the inquiry.

Key Points

• Priti Patel admits Sarah Everard vigil policing was ‘totally inappropriate'
• Government’s ‘hands tied’ on border controls, says Priti Patel
• Police delayed law after getting Matt Hancock’s sign off just minutes before midnight
• Policing was in ‘uncharted territory’ during pandemic, says former top police boss
• Johnson’s decision-making was ‘exhausting for his inner circle’

[30 October 2023 17:49 · Tara Cobham]

Chris Whitty attacked Sunak scheme as ‘Eat out to help out the virus’

Former private secretary to Boris Johnson Imran Shafi also said Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, had criticised Rishi Sunak’s “Eat out to help out” scheme in August 2020 – calling it “Eat out to help out the virus”.

[30 October 2023 17:07 · Tara Cobham]

Rishi Sunak sacks senior Tory aide for calling for Gaza ceasefire

Rishi Sunak has sacked a senior Tory from his government job as a ministerial aide for calling breaking ranks and calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hama conflict.

Paul Bristow, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) at the science department, called for a “permanent” ceasefire in Gaza in a letter to Mr Sunak.

The MP for Peterborough said it “would save lives and allow for a continued column of humanitarian aid [to] reach the people who need it the most”.

Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent reports:

[30 October 2023 17:05 · Tara Cobham]

Extraordinary WhatsApp messages revealing ‘chaos’ of Boris’ government

A series of scathing WhatsApp messages sent between Boris Johnson’s top team have accused the former prime minister of making it “impossible” to tackle Covid, as he created chaos and changed direction “every day”.

The extraordinary messages sent between the likes of Dominic Cummings, Lee Cain and Simon Case reveal the strong disquiet among Mr Johnson’s advisers, with Mr Case, the cabinet secretary and top civil servant, at one point declaring: “I am at the end of my tether.”

The ex-PM’s top officials also branded him “weak and indecisive” and referred to him as a “trolley”. Chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance, meanwhile, said Mr Johnson was “all over the place” and “so completely inconsistent”.

Archie Mitchell reports: