Whilst I agree with you OP, at one level of my thinking comparisons with other countries blurs the issues.
Some important scientific bod said way back, if we only have 20,000 deaths we’ll have done well. Obviously we’ve done even better because we’ve double that! In February - yes, February, scientists were telling the government to increase testing ten fold. I didn’t realise until a couple of days ago, that when testing stations take throat and nose swabs, it’s counted as two tests - that was in the Telegraph. The Financial Times, has a different set of figures,
www.ft.com/content/6b4c784e-c259-4ca4-9a82-648ffde71bf0
The major reason, as someone has said, was ‘shake my hand’ Johnson’s advice (after shaking hands with Covid-19 patients) to the British people to do the same. And reminded us all of our world beating testing labs. Most of them private. Remember Hancock’s answer outside a Cobra meeting a long time ago - UK is at low risk?
Keep asking OP, but don’t hold your breath.