PM rejects Starmer’s call to correct record on care home guidance

Boris Johnson has rejected the call from Keir Starmer to “come to the House of Commons at the earliest opportunity to correct the record” in relation to a comment he made on care home guidance.

Writing in response to the correspondence sent by the Labour leader this afternoon, the Prime Minster said that Starmer had quoted the advice “selectively and misleadingly” during Prime Minister’s Questions today.

Starmer used PMQs to point out: “Until 12 March, the government’s own official advice was – and I’m quoting from it: ‘It remains very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home will become infected.’”

The Prime Minister replied: “No, Mr Speaker, it wasn’t true that the advice said that and actually we brought the lockdown in care homes ahead of the general lockdown.”

In his letter, Johnson wrote that the guidance stated: “This guidance is intended for the current position in the UK where there is currently no transmission of COVID-19 in the community. It is therefore very unlikely that anyone receiving care in a care home or the community will become infected.”

You can see the full text of the letter sent by Johnson to Starmer here.