“Clearly, things went wrong in our response to Covid, we could see that happening in real time, so there’s an obligation to make sure we improve our government and health system responses.” It is of upmost importance that “the lessons are learned for next time”, Robert says. The cost of making similar mistakes in the future is simply too high – experts say that another pandemic is inevitable, potentially in the next decade. The reason for the exhaustive exercise? The UK has one of the highest Covid death tolls in the world. Hallett may call up to 1,000 witnesses to give evidence in that time, likely including at least three prime ministers, numerous cabinet ministers and senior civil servants.

At least £85m has already been spent, and it is expected to cost well over £100m over the next three years. With no deadline to hit, the inquiry is expected to last at least until 2026. And that is all before the inquiry has begun hearing evidence.

This obfuscation has been decried as an attempt to cover up mismanagement. But Hallett has stood fast in her demands, saying that it was for her to determine the relevancy of all potential evidence. Ministers argue that 55,000 documents have already been handed over – and anything that hadn’t been was irrelevant.

The government is spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on legal action to block the inquiry from examining Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and contemporaneous notebooks. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Imagesīefore it even began, the Covid inquiry was faced with significant obstacles. The Johnson government’s preparedness and decisions during the coronavirus pandemic are under scrutiny. In depth: ‘Clearly, things went wrong – there’s an obligation to make sure we improve our responses’ The former first minister has said she is innocent of any wrongdoing.Įconomy | Britain has experienced the worst exports record of any member of the G7 besides Japan over the last decade, according to a new analysis that will raise pressure on the government to reconsider its post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. Scotland | The first minister, Humza Yousaf, has rejected growing calls from across the political spectrum to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from the Scottish National party after her arrest on Sunday. The prime minister clashed publicly with Johnson over his failed attempts to elevate several close allies to the House of Lords. Politics | Sources have told the Guardian that Rishi Sunak would block Boris Johnson from standing again as a Conservative MP before the next election. The media tycoon, who led three governments between 19, had been diagnosed with leukaemia some time ago. Italy | The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has died aged 86. The mother of three, 44, received the medication under the “pills by post” scheme, which was introduced during the Covid pandemic. Health | A woman has been sentenced to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty to procuring drugs to induce an abortion after the legal limit. In addition to learning lessons to better handle future pandemics, Hallett views this inquiry as a space to “commemorate the hardship and loss that so many people in the UK suffered”.įor today’s newsletter, I spoke to Guardian social affairs correspondent Robert Booth about what we can expect in the coming months from the Covid inquiry. That does not include the untold damage to young people whose life prospects may have been irreparably damaged, or the impact on the nation’s mental health and the sizeable economic damage.

To date, over 220,000 people have died from Covid in the UK and an estimated 2 million more self-reported experiencing long Covid. It affected everyone and as a result everyone has questions. This inquiry is different from others that we have seen in the past because of the scale of the pandemic.

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