Coronavirus: Boris Johnson's claim it is 'too early' to draw global death toll comparisons mocked by Keir Starmer

'It is of little solace to families who have lost someone to be told this is too early to compare and to learn'

Boris Johnson has been accused of refusing to admit to the UK’s sky-high coronavirus death toll by claiming it is “too early” to draw comparisons, in a clash with Keir Starmer.

The Labour leader attacked the prime minister’s claim to feel “pride” in his response to the crisis, saying – of the 50,000 likely deaths – “There is no pride in those figures is there?”

And he urged Mr Johnson to learn “quickly” from other nation’s strategies, protesting: “It just doesn’t wash that we can’t compare these figures to other countries.

“It is of little solace to families who have lost someone to be told this is too early to compare and to learn from other countries.”

But Mr Johnson hit back, insisting: “The best scientific evidence and advice is we must wait until the epidemic has been through its whole cycle before we can draw relevant international comparisons.”

During prime minister’s questions in the Commons, he hailed the “astonishing” speed with which Nightingale hospitals were built and the way the country “came together to follow social distancing rules”.

“This government has announced a plan on 11 May to get the country back on its feet,” he told MPs.

But Sir Keir said the UK death toll – more than 50,000 according to the Office for National Statistics, above 63,000 overall “excess deaths” – should “haunt us”.

It compares with what scientific advisers said, in March, would be “a good result” of 20,000 deaths and is widely seen as the second highest tally in the world, after the United States.

Mr Johnson also came under pressure from the SNP to stick to the 2-metre social distancing rule, as he pushes it to be cut to 1 metre, saying it was still “under review”.

Later, he angered many MPs by hailing the US, under Donald Trump, as a “bastion of peace and freedom”, despite the police brutality that has triggered the angry Black Lives Matter protests.

Sir Keir and the prime minister over what the Labour leader called the “completely avoidable mess” of primary schools remaining shut for most children, after Tuesday’s U-turn.

Government plans were “in tatters” and parents had lost confidence, he warned, adding: “It’s time he took responsibility for his own failings. The consequences are stark.”

The prime minister was pressed to give poor and vulnerable pupils free meals over the summer, after Gavin Williamson, the educations secretary, refused to do so.

But he replied: “We don't normally continue with free school meals over the summer holidays but we're also aware of the particular difficulties faced by vulnerable families.

“That's why we're announcing a further £63m of local welfare assistance to be used by local authorities at their discretion to help the most vulnerable families.”

Mr Johnson also told the Labour leader to ensure “his friends in the left-wing trade unions” helped get schools ready.