Coronavirus: Maajid Nawaz pleads with government for better communication

15 March 2020, 13:45

Matt Hancock's communication has come under fire after exclusive information on government action on coronavirus appeared behind a newspaper paywall.

"What we need right now is proper communication" Maajid said, beginning a rant about how poorly planned the government's communication has been.

He made the point that because the government portals had to reference a newspaper article for something that came from themselves was laughable. Maajid said "that is beneath the government" to have to embarrass themselves in this way.

Maajid went back to state that he has been defending the government's new strategy on the outbreak and again insisted that "it is not a survival of the fittest policy".

He pleaded with the government that it isn't his place to defend and explain the work the government is doing. He recommended that they "should be out there every single day for a regular briefing".

"The best way to stop people panicking is information" Maajid said. He believes that the government can do much better to reassure the public and to prevent panic buying and other issues that have arose through lack of information.

"There is such a thing as shutting things down too early" Maajid insisted where he again, stood by the work the government has done so far and the policies they plan to implement.

He went back again to stress his anger with the manor in which the government has carried out themselves and their policies to the public.

"what I don't get is why your comms has been so abysmally poor" Maajid said.