LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer called on the PM today to “correct the record” on inaccurate government guidance regarding Covid-19 transmission in care homes.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Starmer questioned Boris Johnson on official advice regarding the care sector, which until today had stated that “it remains very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home will become infected.” 

Quoting the document, the Labour leader asked Mr Johnson if he accepted that the government was too slow to protect people in care homes.

About 40 per cent of all Covid-19 deaths have taken place in care homes, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures revealed on Tuesday.

Mr Johnson denied that Mr Starmer had read the official advice correctly and said: “Actually we brought the lockdown in care homes ahead of the general lockdown.”

But Public Health England guidance from early March, which is now branded “withdrawn” on the government’s website, had clearly stated that care-home outbreaks were “very unlikely.”

Mr Starmer swiftly wrote to Mr Johnson, copying the letter to the Speaker of the House, demanding that the record be corrected.

“At this time of national crisis, it is more important than ever that government ministers are accurate in the information they give,” the letter said.

But Downing Street accused Mr Starmer of “inaccurately and selectively” quoting from the guidance and indicated that Mr Johnson would not set the record straight.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said today: “It’s a tragedy that we have a PM who has turned denial of the truth into a new art form.”

During PMQs, Mr Johnson also announced a further £600 million for infection control in care homes.

He said that the number of casualties in care homes has been “too high,” but that outbreaks in the sector are decreasing and that the number of fatalities “is now well down.”

Mr Starmer asked for the government’s view on the 10,000 “unexplained” excess deaths in care homes in April. 

Mr Johnson’s response was that there “is much more to do but we are making progress” on reducing the pandemic in care homes.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “When faced with serious questions on coronavirus the PM bluffs his way through his answers, laughing and joking, saying the public will ensure ‘common sense’ will prevail — it’s really not funny.”