British Home Secretary Priti Patel was arrested and said the country had to close its borders in March due to the pandemic.
” On [the question of] “Should we have closed our borders earlier?” the answer is yes, I was in favor of closing them in March last year, ‘Patel said in an audio recording obtained by the Guido Fawkes political website.
The recording was apparently made during a Zoom call with the Conservative Friends of India group on Tuesday night.
A Home Office spokesman asked for comment on the audio recording and did not deny its authenticity, telling CNN on Wednesday: ‘We have strong border controls that are essential if we are to roll out the vaccine. ‘
The government has been criticized for relaxing measures at the border, which were changed earlier this week. Initially, different countries had travel routes with the United Kingdom, which meant that visitors could enter the country without isolating themselves for 14 days upon arrival.
Patel’s comments come after the UK closed all ‘travel routes’ – effectively closing national borders – on Monday for the first time during the pandemic. The decision was taken in response to growing concerns about the new variants being developed internationally.
The British Covid-19 death toll – the highest in Europe – currently stands at more than 93,000, according to the government’s dashboard.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer read out Patel’s words from the audio recording in parliament on Wednesday, asking why Home Secretary Boris Johnson dominated Home Affairs over the border closure.
Johnson does not dispute what Patel said in the recording.
“I think it was the real honorable gentleman who said in March last year that we do not have to close borders, but as usual, Captain Hindsight has changed his tune to events,” Johnson said.
“We are … in the midst of a national pandemic and this country is facing a very, very serious death toll and we are doing everything in our power to protect the British public.”
Johnson joked: ‘I’m delighted [Starmer] now praises the Home Secretary, a change of voice. “
Starmer repeated the question and asked again why Johnson dominated the Home Secretary.
Johnson replied: “We have introduced one of the most difficult border regimes in the world, and it was only in March that he and many members of his party supported an approach to open borders.”
In an interview on camera Wednesday, Patel’s comments were put back to Johnson. Asked whether Britain should close its borders last March, he said: ‘There is ample opportunity to look back at what decisions were taken and what approach was taken back in March last year … but what I can say today is that the UK is one of the toughest border regimes in the world. ”
CNN contacted the Conservative friends of India for comment.