Boris Johnson

According to the latest government figures, the United Kingdom now has the highest number of coronavirus deaths in Europe.

There have been 29,427 deaths recorded across the UK . The latest total for Italy, previously the highest in Europe, now stands at 29,315.

Newly released data from the Office for National Statistics showed that 29,648 deaths were registered in England and Wales with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificates by  May 2 . With the addition of the official death figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland, this was calculated to take the UK’s toll to 32,313.

Dr Claudia Paoloni, President of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association trade union, said Britain having the highest number of deaths in Europe showed that ministers had “searching questions” to answer.

“This is a very sobering and unwelcome milestone. It’s of extreme concern that the UK now has the largest number of Covid deaths in Europe. There will have to be a full investigation of the [government’s] handling of the Covid response in due course – a public inquiry – to understand why we are experiencing such large numbers in comparison to the rest of Europe.

“It puts into question whether the government’s tactics at the start of the pandemic were sufficiently fast, and especially whether the lockdown should have happened earlier and whether we should have been better prepared with increased capacity for viral testing and contact tracing from the start. Both have proven inadequate.”