Downing Street accused of hiding top civil servant's coronavirus infection
The government’s belated admission that the cabinet secretary, Sir Mark Sedwill, suffered from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, at the same time as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has caused unease across the political establishment.
According to Downing Street, Sedwill, 55, developed symptoms consistent with Covid-19 around April 02 or 03 but his condition was described as “very mild”.
By contrast, the PM, who also developed symptoms around that time, became critically ill with COVID-19 and had to be transferred to intensive care.
Downing Street is quietly coming under pressure to explain why it had kept Sedwill’s illness a secret.
Indeed, throughout late March and April journalists who enquired about Sedwill’s health were invariably told that the country’s top civil servant was “fine” and “working as normal”.
By some estimates Sedwill, who has held senior posts in both the Foreign Office and the Home Office, ranks as the second most powerful man in government.
Therefore, in the event of his illness taking a turn for the worse that would have caused huge upset to the entire establishment.
In his analysis of the situation, Sam Coates, who is deputy political editor of Sky News, argues that the case is important because it goes to the “heart of whether we can trust officials in the most deadly crisis this country [UK] is facing”.
The UK's top civil servant had COVID-19 at the same time as the PM. The public weren't told - and it matters
— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) May 14, 2020
My analysis https://t.co/OW9hncBup2
The government’s crime of omission in this case adds to Downing Street’s mounting woes over the coronavirus crisis and as Coates observers it raises questions as to what other sensitive information the government is hiding from the public.
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