“The truth is that China is responsible for COVID-19 – and if legal claims were brought against Beijing they could amount to trillions of pounds.”
Following the report, which will be published in its entirety on Monday, up to 15 Conservative MPs are understood to have signed a letter calling for the Government to “re-think” its relationship with China.
The letter said: “Legally binding international healthcare regulations require states to provide full information on all potential pandemics.
“It appears likely that in its early response to the outbreak, the uphold its obligations.
“This omission allowed the disease to spread throughout the world with extraordinarily serious consequences in terms of global health and the economy.
“The cost to the UK may be, as a Henry Jackson Society report now suggests, over £350 billion.”
On the future relationship with Beijing, the letter said: “Once the crisis has passed, we urge the Government to re-think our wider relationship with China.
“Over time, we have allowed ourselves to grow dependent on China and have failed to take a strategic view of Britain’s long-term economic, technical and security needs.”
The Chinese Embassy has declined to comment on the reports.
In the UK a total of 4,313 people have died after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
The Department for Health confirmed the number of people who died from COVID-19 increased by 708 on Saturday – including a 5-year-old child.
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