Osborne: We had no plan to deal with a lockdown

Ex-Chancellor defends austerity record

-  ASHLEY COWBURN

AUSTERITY architect George Osborne admitted Britain had no economic plans for an extended lockdown to respond to a pandemic.

But the ex-Chancellor told the Covid Inquiry he felt it was unfair to apportion blame for the lack of planning.

During an 80-minute grilling, the senior Tory was also accused of "rewriting history" by rejecting claims that austerity had depleted health and social care capacity.

Mr Osborne said without his economic policies, the country would have been "more exposed" to fiscal crises in the wake of Covid.

Chancellor between 2010 and 2016, Mr Osborne said there were plans for an influenza pandemic. But he revealed there were no plans in place to ask the population to remain at home.