Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK's COVID-19 death toll is "deeply horrifying" after he was accused of avoiding comparisons with other European countries.
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Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer told parliament on Wednesday that he was "baffled" by the government's withdrawal of daily graphs comparing Britain's deaths and infections with those of other countries, saying the charts had been "used for seven weeks to reassure the public".
Johnson did not explain why the graphs were no longer used, but he said scientific advisers believed international comparisons were "premature... (until) we have all the excess death totals for all the relevant countries".
"Now I am not going to try to pretend that the (UK) figures, when they are finally confirmed, are anything other than stark and deeply, deeply horrifying," he said.
Pressed again on the dropping of daily comparisons, Johnson said the government was "watching intently what is happening in other countries".
Signs of increasing infections in some countries that had already relaxed lockdowns gave "a very clear warning not to proceed too fast or too recklessly," he added.
Britain has reported Europe's highest official death toll.
A total of 33,186 people who tested positive for the coronavirus have died in the UK, a rise of 494 in a 24-hour period, the health ministry said on Wednesday. Including deaths due to suspected cases, the toll is more than 40,000.
Johnson allowed a minor easing of the UK's lockdown this week, encouraging people who are unable to work from home to resume their journeys to work from Wednesday.
Schools are scheduled to gradually reopen from June 1.
Australian Associated Press
