Covid inquiry live: Matt Hancock hits back at ‘toxic culture’ at centre of government after pandemic grilling
IndependentNOV 15 2023
UK: Former Supreme Court Judge Supports COVID Fine Amnesty
Above: Piers Corbyn and his team on the London Underground platform as they make their way to the student s against tyranny demonstration on April 9, 2022 in London, England. Image copyright: Martin Pope/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Former UK Justice Secretary, Sir Robert Buckland, has called for the government to expunge the records of the more than 29K people who have so far been convicted of violating COVID rules.
Former Supreme Court Judge Lord Jonathan Sumption agreed with Buckland's proposal, arguing that people were convicted under "absurdly draconian" laws and now face potential hurdles to finding a job due to their criminal records.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were among the nearly 30K people penalized for pandemic rule violations — receiving fixed penalty notices by police while serving as prime minister and Chancellor, respectively.
The Spin
Right narrative
In an ambiguous, draconian manner, the government imposed absurd laws on the British people with little explanation and unclear science to back them. People as young as 18 were turned into criminals for simply hosting New Year's Eve parties and traveling to visit family. If the government has any real sense of justice, it will expunge these records immediately.
Left narrative
While a case could be made for some amnesty, those like Johnson and Sunak — who put safety measures in place and then violated those same rules — shouldn't be forgiven. As UK residents were suffering from the virus, these politicians chose to put society at risk by ignoring laws that they had applied to society as a whole.