The Government's "dishonesty" surrounding the coronavirus pandemic was slammed on Question Time, with one viewer claiming she "doesn't feel proud to be British".
Margaret Collins, from Newcastle, appeared via video stream on the BBC programme last night to question why Britain's death toll per 100,000 inhabitants is higher than all of Europe and even the US.
Referring to figures from John Hopkins University, she said the UK has 44.4 deaths per 100,000, which dwarfs the likes of Finland and Denmark with four and 4.5 respectively - while the US has 21.7.
"They are all lower than the UK, which has a nationwide lockdown, and the toll is significantly higher," she told the panel, which included Food and Agriculture Minister George Eustice.
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Ms Collins asked: "Why and how did the government let this happen when we had advanced warning of the figures coming out of other countries?"
She added that as Brits prepare for VE Day today, "who feels like celebrating? I don't feel particularly proud of being British when I see figures like that".
Panelist Afua Hirsch called on the Government to be honest about the "mistakes" it has made in its handling of the pandemic.
“To hear our government congratulating itself on the way it’s handled this outbreak...it’s insulting to the people who continue to die every day,” she said, referring to Boris Johnson 's comments at yesterday's daily press conference.
The author and journalist went on to say Downing Street has been "changing its narrative to fit its results" from the start.
"Initially we liked international comparisons because they made us look good but now they make us look bad we can’t trust them.
"The advice on PPE was to use the PPE recommended by the World Health Organisation, until it emerged we didn’t have it and the PPE advice was changed to fit what we have.
"The definition of testing was changed when it emerged we couldn't meet the 100,000 tests a day standard we promised, until suddenly we could by changing what stands as a test - being sent out rather than a result being received.
"For those of us who aren’t medical experts and just members of the public and watching people we know and love die there’s an unavoidable feeling the government is not being honest with us about the scale of this crisis," she continued.
"Yes, we’ve all done everything we can to mitigate this, and we are all trying to come together and help."
But she said that that doesn't constitute a "success" rather it makes people who are suffering "feel the leadership has failed us and I think we deserve an honest acknowledgment".
Mr Eustice, however, said it is "simply not true" that the Government has been dishonest with the British public.
He pointed to the daily press conferences - which are often attended by the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty - which have been "very candid about the nature of the crisis".
The Minister said No10 has been honest about the "reasons we're doing the things we're doing".
"We’re being very candid about the evidence and the epidemiology behind this...I think [we're being] as frank as possible with the public and we’ve shared our thinking every step of the way," he added.
Fellow panelist Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said there are many variables which go into why figures come out the way they do, including population density.
He said 10 to 12 weeks ago, Britain watched how Italy's health service was being completely overrun, but that has never happened to the NHS here.
Mr Hopson pointed to the success of the seven makeshift Nightingale hospitals and the creation of 33,000 beds for virus patients.
He said it's important the country recognises that its health service has "managed to avoid" becoming overwhelmed,
However, on being prompted by host Fiona Bruce, he did accept it was a different story in terms of the struggling social care sector.
