26 July 2023: Sunak - B

Questions from core participants:

When the Francis Study was received, was it costed? He could not say.

Is the Government using the Inquiry as an excuse not to act, and does the Government actually want to pay compensation? He said no, the Inquiry is just the process and not an excuse. He recalled the interim payments made – again – to justify the Government’s commitment.

Why could the Government make the first interim payments but not the second recommendations? He wasn’t in Government at that time of the first payments (“it wasn’t me” again), but he had agreed with doing it. He glossed over the logic of the question.

Citing the expected year ahead as had been covered by Penny Mordaunt, Counsel sought to know if there is a commitment to legislate on these issues in the fourth session. He could (would) not commit “for obvious reasons” which were not obvious. The apparent inconsistency between what Penny Mordaunt had said and what the witness said were raised, but he disagreed with them being at odds. Counsel reserved the right to go back to the witness on this matter of inconsistency as she still say it, (basically telling him he was wrong and would not get off that lightly, the scamp).

The Chair did not have any other questions.

The witness reverted to again exuding a syrupy sycophancy by recognising once more the layers of injustice and years of inaction people had suffered. It is hard not to be moved by the testimonies, he said (but did he mean it?). It is important to move things along (… as in ”When can I get away from here?”)

The Chair reviewed how important it was for the PM to come to give evidence and recalled his reasoning for taking the step. “You embody the ‘political will’” as PM, said the Chair. There seems to be a commitment to get things fixed during “our shift” he summarised. He sees this as meaning the Government saying it will do what is needed to complete the process of meeting the needs and righting the wrongs people have endured, and doing it during this Parliament. But there is no detail and no timeline, the Chair recalled. The Chair asked for anything the witness can do to be done, to demonstrate the words becoming actions. He concluded this veiled telling off by stating how, when it comes to the need for speed in paying compensation, “If it troubles my conscience, I think it would trouble the conscience of a caring Government”. It came as no surprise to hear this beautifully barbed observation being met with extended and enthusiastic applause. A guided missile gauntlet was thrown down in front of the nation’s press. This was more than a soundbite. It was a sensation.

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