A cabinet minister today praised the World Health Organisation as a “force for good” in a glaring split with America over fighting coronavirus.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that the best way to combat the virus is for an international response.
Hours earlier US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was said to have told MPs during a visit to London that the WHO’s head had been “bought” by China and that its failings had contributed to “dead Britons”.
Mr Shapps gave firm backing to the WHO despite the heavy criticism from Donald Trump’s administration.
“The best way to challenge something like the coronavirus is to work across borders because the virus does not respect them, to work internationally including through the World Health Organisation,” he told Sky News.
“We know the US has issues with the WHO, President Trump has talked about it before, that has not been the UK approach.
“We have backed international effort … we may have put more money into the international research to find a cure that any other country.
“The WHO is on balance a force for good in the world.”
Mr Pompeo allegedly claimed that Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general, had struck a deal with China that helped him to get the post. Mr Pompeo is also said to have argued that the WHO was a “political” rather than “science-based” body that had made blunders in addressing the Covid crisis.
WHO chiefs have rejected the claims and suggested that the Trump administration is out of step with most Americans in its attitude.
Mr Trump, who himself has been accused of major mistakes in the battle against coronavirus which has swept across America, is withdrawing the US from the WHO.
