The spiked podcast The Covid inquiry’s pro-lockdown propaganda | Michael Simmons
Nov 26, 2025
Michael Simmons, Economics editor at The Spectator and host of the Reality Check podcast, dives into the controversial claims of the UK’s Covid inquiry. He dismantles the misleading 23,000 avoidable deaths figure, highlighting flawed pandemic modeling and the real-world data that contradicts lockdown effectiveness. Simmons emphasizes the importance of comparing international responses, particularly Sweden's approach, and warns of the long-term economic scars left by lockdown policies. He argues that lockdowns, rather than being an absolute necessity, were a choice with severe consequences.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Modelling Doesn’t “Establish” Facts
- Michael Simmons argues the inquiry's claim that modelling "established" 23,000 avoidable deaths is misleading and politically damaging.
- He says models show hypotheticals and often used far-out assumptions, so the headline figure discredits the inquiry.
Public Behaviour Undercut Model Assumptions
- Simmons notes real-world behaviour changes (via Google mobility) meant people largely self-restricted, undermining some model assumptions.
- He argues the inquiry ignored evidence like Sweden and failed to question the lockdown orthodoxy.
Omicron Exposed Model Failures
- The Omicron wave showed SAGE model predictions vastly overstated deaths compared with observed outcomes.
- Simmons says that mismatch should have discredited reliance on these models for policy and inquiry conclusions.