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Political figures in support included [[Keir Starmer]] (Leader of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] and [[Leader of the Opposition]]),<ref>{{cite news |title=Johnson promises Covid response inquiry 'soon as right to do so' |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-03-24/pmqs-boris-johnson-under-scrutiny-over-uk-covid-response-as-he-faces-labour-leader-sir-keir-starmer |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=ITV News |date=24 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref> [[Ed Davey]] (Leader of the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]),<ref>{{cite news |title=Boris Johnson 'trying to hide' from scrutiny of Covid inquiry – Ed Davey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/18/boris-johnson-trying-to-hide-from-scrutiny-of-covid-inquiry-ed-davey |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=18 March 2021}}</ref> [[Bob Kerslake]] (former [[Civil_Service_(United_Kingdom)#Head_of_the_Home_Civil_Service|Head of the Home Civil Service]]), and former [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] Prime Minister [[David Cameron]].<ref name="GuardMarch16"/> [[Justin Welby]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], had also called for an inquiry.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 April 2021 |title=Justin Welby calls for start to public inquiry into handling of Covid |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/21/justin-welby-calls-for-start-to-public-inquiry-into-handling-of-covid |access-date=29 April 2021}}</ref> The [[Institute for Government]] also supported inquiry calls.<ref name="elc" />
Political figures in support included [[Keir Starmer]] (Leader of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] and [[Leader of the Opposition]]),<ref>{{cite news |title=Johnson promises Covid response inquiry 'soon as right to do so' |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-03-24/pmqs-boris-johnson-under-scrutiny-over-uk-covid-response-as-he-faces-labour-leader-sir-keir-starmer |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=ITV News |date=24 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref> [[Ed Davey]] (Leader of the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]),<ref>{{cite news |title=Boris Johnson 'trying to hide' from scrutiny of Covid inquiry – Ed Davey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/18/boris-johnson-trying-to-hide-from-scrutiny-of-covid-inquiry-ed-davey |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=18 March 2021}}</ref> [[Bob Kerslake]] (former [[Civil_Service_(United_Kingdom)#Head_of_the_Home_Civil_Service|Head of the Home Civil Service]]), and former [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] Prime Minister [[David Cameron]].<ref name="GuardMarch16"/> [[Justin Welby]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], had also called for an inquiry.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 April 2021 |title=Justin Welby calls for start to public inquiry into handling of Covid |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/21/justin-welby-calls-for-start-to-public-inquiry-into-handling-of-covid |access-date=29 April 2021}}</ref> The [[Institute for Government]] also supported inquiry calls.<ref name="elc" />


Proposals for topics to address in the inquiry have included: the scientific advice given to ministers, the death rate in the UK, the [[NHS Test and Trace|test, track and trace]] system, communication of infection control measures and implementation of [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdown measures]], travel restrictions, attempts to redress the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities, as well as a review of the functioning of the [[National Health Service]] and its staff during the pandemic − including supplies of [[personal protective equipment]], [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care facilities|the transfer of patients from hospitals to care homes]], risk assessments (including failures to respond to warnings in 2017's [[Exercise Cygnus]], which reported that the UK was not prepared for a pandemic), isolation and staff testing – the functioning of [[NHS 111|111 services]], the centralisation of decision-making (including tensions between the government and regional mayors) and the role of [[United Kingdom government austerity programme|austerity]] in decision-making.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zebrowski |first1=Chris |last2=Sage |first2=Daniel |last3=Jörden |first3=Nina Marie |title=Five questions that need answering in a COVID public inquiry |url=https://theconversation.com/five-questions-that-need-answering-in-a-covid-public-inquiry-158560 |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=The Conversation |date=9 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="BoothSample1"/><ref name="Lancet">{{cite journal |last1=Goodman |first1=Jo |last2=Prudhoe |first2=Kathryn de |last3=Williams |first3=Charlie |title=UK COVID-19 public inquiry needed to learn lessons and save lives |journal=The Lancet |pages=177–180 |language=English |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32726-4 |date=16 January 2021|volume=397 |issue=10270 |pmid=33357492 |pmc=7832557 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kmietowicz |first1=Zosia |title=Covid-19: Bereaved families, unions, and charities demand immediate public inquiry to save lives |journal=BMJ |date=3 December 2020 |volume=371 |pages=m4729 |doi=10.1136/bmj.m4729 |pmid=33272925 |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4729 |language=en |issn=1756-1833|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Conn |first1=David |title=Covid bereaved condemn government refusal to publish NHS 111 training content |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/29/covid-bereaved-condemn-government-refusal-to-publish-nhs-111-training-content |access-date=1 May 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=29 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Conn |first1=David |title=Bereaved relatives call for immediate inquiry into Covid-19 crisis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/12/bereaved-relatives-call-for-immediate-inquiry-into-covid-19-crisis |access-date=3 May 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=12 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
Proposals for topics to address in the inquiry have included: the scientific advice given to ministers, the death rate in the UK, the [[NHS Test and Trace|test, track and trace]] system, communication of infection control measures and implementation of [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdown measures]], travel restrictions, attempts to understand the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities, as well as a review of the functioning of the [[National Health Service]] and its staff during the pandemic − including supplies of [[personal protective equipment]], [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care facilities|the transfer of patients from hospitals to care homes]], risk assessments (including the response to warnings in 2017's [[Exercise Cygnus]], which reported that the UK was not prepared for a pandemic), isolation and staff testing – the functioning of [[NHS 111|111 services]], the centralisation of decision-making (including tensions between the government and regional mayors) and the role of [[United Kingdom government austerity programme|austerity]] in decision-making.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zebrowski |first1=Chris |last2=Sage |first2=Daniel |last3=Jörden |first3=Nina Marie |title=Five questions that need answering in a COVID public inquiry |url=https://theconversation.com/five-questions-that-need-answering-in-a-covid-public-inquiry-158560 |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=The Conversation |date=9 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="BoothSample1"/><ref name="Lancet">{{cite journal |last1=Goodman |first1=Jo |last2=Prudhoe |first2=Kathryn de |last3=Williams |first3=Charlie |title=UK COVID-19 public inquiry needed to learn lessons and save lives |journal=The Lancet |pages=177–180 |language=English |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32726-4 |date=16 January 2021|volume=397 |issue=10270 |pmid=33357492 |pmc=7832557 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kmietowicz |first1=Zosia |title=Covid-19: Bereaved families, unions, and charities demand immediate public inquiry to save lives |journal=BMJ |date=3 December 2020 |volume=371 |pages=m4729 |doi=10.1136/bmj.m4729 |pmid=33272925 |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4729 |language=en |issn=1756-1833|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Conn |first1=David |title=Covid bereaved condemn government refusal to publish NHS 111 training content |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/29/covid-bereaved-condemn-government-refusal-to-publish-nhs-111-training-content |access-date=1 May 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=29 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Conn |first1=David |title=Bereaved relatives call for immediate inquiry into Covid-19 crisis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/12/bereaved-relatives-call-for-immediate-inquiry-into-covid-19-crisis |access-date=3 May 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=12 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref>


In March 2021 polling, 47% of the British public supported an inquiry, with 35% neither supporting nor opposing or didn't know, and 18% opposed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Public support for Covid inquiry more than twice as high as opposition – poll |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/17/public-support-for-covid-inquiry-more-than-twice-as-high-as-opposition-poll |access-date=29 April 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=17 March 2021}}</ref>
In March 2021 polling, 47% of the British public supported an inquiry, with 35% neither supporting nor opposing or didn't know, and 18% opposed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Public support for Covid inquiry more than twice as high as opposition – poll |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/17/public-support-for-covid-inquiry-more-than-twice-as-high-as-opposition-poll |access-date=29 April 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=17 March 2021}}</ref>

Revision as of 12:55, 2 June 2023

Part of a series on the
COVID-19 pandemic
in the United Kingdom,
British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
(Part of the global COVID-19 pandemic)
Locations
  • Countries
  • British Overseas Territories without confirmed cases
Timelines
  • England
  • Scotland
  • Wales
  • Northern Ireland
Key topics
  • Healthcare
  • Impacts

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is an independent public inquiry into the British government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Public hearings are expected to begin in 2023. Boris Johnson announced the inquiry on 12 May 2021, to start in Spring 2022. He said the date was chosen because of a possible winter surge in infections, but that preparatory work on the terms of reference would start earlier, as would choosing a chair.[1] In December 2021, Heather Hallett, Baroness Hallett was announced as the chair of the inquiry.[2]

The draft terms of the inquiry include the UK's preparedness for the pandemic, the use of lockdowns and other non-pharmaceutical interventions, pandemic management in hospitals and care homes, equipment procurement, and the financial support made available. It will cover the period up to and including the Inquiry being established on 28 June 2022, and England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

There had been prior proposals to launch a public inquiry from senior doctors, The BMJ, government scientific advisers, and ethnic minority group leaders. These proposals included looking into lockdown tactics, the "test, track and trace" service, and deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Background and calls for an inquiry

Main article: British government response to the COVID-19 pandemic
See also: Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

The British government has been accused of being too slow to introduce restrictions and lockdowns related to COVID-19. Epidemiologist John Edmunds, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said that the UK went into lockdown too late and this "cost a lot of lives".[3] The independent think-tank the Resolution Foundation said that delaying the winter lockdown caused up to 27,000 extra deaths in England and accused the government of a "huge mistake" which should be central to any public inquiry into the UK's handling of the pandemic.[4]

Andrew Hayward, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology and inclusion health research who also sits on SAGE, told The Guardian: "Many would argue that much of this could have been avoided if different [or] earlier decisions had been made at various points in the pandemic. These decision-making processes therefore need to be scrutinised and I think they are only likely to become completely clear if people are compelled to give evidence."[5]

Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice were pressuring the government to launch a judge-led statutory public inquiry into the pandemic and the government's response to it, with a rapid review phase.[6][7][8] The group has threatened legal action, and lawyers representing the group have informed ministers that they are planning to seek judicial review by the High Court of Justice.[9] Lawyers representing the group have acted in major public inquiries including into the Hillsborough, Grenfell Tower and Manchester Arena disasters.[10]

The BMJ advocated for an inquiry in May 2020 to take place before a second wave.[11]

As well as Edmunds and Hayward, other medical professionals who supported an inquiry included: Chaand Nagpaul, Donna Kinnair, Paul Nurse,[5] and leading medical think tank the King's Fund.[12] Unions such as the TUC,[13] Unison, GMB the British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Physicians were also in support.[5][14] Equality activists supporting an inquiry included Zara Mohammed and Simon Woolley.[5]

Political figures in support included Keir Starmer (Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition),[15] Ed Davey (Leader of the Liberal Democrats),[16] Bob Kerslake (former Head of the Home Civil Service), and former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron.[5] Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had also called for an inquiry.[17] The Institute for Government also supported inquiry calls.[12]

Proposals for topics to address in the inquiry have included: the scientific advice given to ministers, the death rate in the UK, the test, track and trace system, communication of infection control measures and implementation of lockdown measures, travel restrictions, attempts to understand the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities, as well as a review of the functioning of the National Health Service and its staff during the pandemic − including supplies of personal protective equipment, the transfer of patients from hospitals to care homes, risk assessments (including the response to warnings in 2017's Exercise Cygnus, which reported that the UK was not prepared for a pandemic), isolation and staff testing – the functioning of 111 services, the centralisation of decision-making (including tensions between the government and regional mayors) and the role of austerity in decision-making.[18][3][19][20][21][22]

In March 2021 polling, 47% of the British public supported an inquiry, with 35% neither supporting nor opposing or didn't know, and 18% opposed.[23]

Inquiry

Inquiry Chair Heather Hallett, Baroness Hallett.

Boris Johnson announced in May 2021 that an inquiry would take place, and start in spring 2022.[24]

On 15 December 2021, Heather Hallett, Baroness Hallett was announced as the chair of the inquiry.[2] Unlike other public inquiries, a statutory public inquiry has the power to subpoena people and take evidence under oath.[25] The inquiry will be the biggest ever such undertaking by the UK government.[3]

Draft terms of reference were announced on 11 March 2022. Issues covered included the UK's preparedness, the use of lockdowns and other non-pharmaceutical interventions, pandemic management in hospitals and care homes, equipment procurement, and the financial support made available.[26]

Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, and Care Campaign for the Vulnerable both criticised the decision to omit Partygate from the terms.[27] A former Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, called the lack of focus on children's experiences in lockdown a "shocking oversight".[28]

Public consultation on the terms ran from 11 March until 7 April and received over 20,000 responses. Hallett has said she would consider these responses and present her revised recommendations to Johnson in May 2022. Final terms of reference were published on 28 June 2022,[29] allowing the inquiry to formally commence.[26][27] Hallett expects public hearings to begin in 2023.[30][31] The first preliminary public hearing took place on 4 October 2022.[32]

Judicial review over Johnson material

The Inquiry asked for diaries, notebooks and WhatsApp messages by Johnson. The Cabinet Office supplied redacted versions, saying they had removed material not relevant to the Inquiry, but the Inquiry asked for the unredacted material, using a Section 21 notice, leading to an argument in May 2023 with the Government.[33] The Cabinet Office launched legal action, a judicial review, on 1 June 2023 over their concerns that handing over all the material would compromise ministers' and other individuals' right to privacy. The legal action argued against the Inquiry having "the power to compel production of documents and messages which are unambiguously irrelevant to the inquiry's work".[34]

The Inquiry's request included for:[35]

  • Unredacted messages sent and received by Johnson from 1 January 2020-24 February 2022
  • Unredacted diaries for Johnson from 1 January 2020-24 February 2022
  • Copies of 24 unredacted notebooks filled in by Johnson from 1 January 2020-24 February 2022
  • Unredacted messages sent and received by adviser Henry Cook from 1 January 2020-24 February 2022

Johnson had provided materials to the Cabinet Office, although it then emerged that he had only provided WhatsApp messages from May 2021 when he got a new phone following a security breach on his previous phone.[36]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Covid: Lessons to be learned from spring 2022 public inquiry - PM". BBC News. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Ex-High Court judge Baroness Hallett to chair Covid inquiry". BBC News. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Booth, Robert; Sample, Ian (16 March 2021). "UK's response to Covid: issues that a public inquiry could examine". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Delaying England's winter lockdown 'caused up to 27,000 extra Covid deaths'". The Guardian. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Pressure mounts on Boris Johnson to launch coronavirus inquiry". the Guardian. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  6. ^ "'We owe it to families and victims to get on with Covid inquiry'". ITV News. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  7. ^ Booth, Robert; Sample, Ian (16 March 2021). "Bereaved families call for judge-led public inquiry into UK Covid response". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  8. ^ Conn, David (11 May 2020). "Bereaved families seek 'justice' for UK victims of coronavirus". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Families of Covid dead to take legal action to force inquiry". The Sunday Times. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021. A letter will be sent to the government this month on behalf of the group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, informing ministers that they will seek judicial review proceedings in the High Court. It is an attempt to force the hand of Boris Johnson, who has refused to hold an investigation into why Britain suffered the worst Covid-19 death toll in Europe, at more than 140,000 fatalities.
  10. ^ Booth, Robert (17 March 2021). "Bereaved families issue legal ultimatum to Boris Johnson over Covid inquiry". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  11. ^ McKee, Martin; Gill, Mike; Wollaston, Sarah (22 May 2020). "Public inquiry into UK's response to covid-19". BMJ. 369: m2052. doi:10.1136/bmj.m2052. ISSN 1756-1833. PMID 32444349. S2CID 218857813.
  12. ^ a b "PM told to establish Covid public inquiry 'now' by leading think tanks". East Lothian Courier. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  13. ^ "TUC calls for immediate public inquiry into Covid deaths". the Guardian. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  14. ^ Whiteside, Philip (28 April 2021). "COVID-19: Unions add to calls for date to be set for start of coronavirus public inquiry". Sky News. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Johnson promises Covid response inquiry 'soon as right to do so'". ITV News. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Boris Johnson 'trying to hide' from scrutiny of Covid inquiry – Ed Davey". The Guardian. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Justin Welby calls for start to public inquiry into handling of Covid". The Guardian. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  18. ^ Zebrowski, Chris; Sage, Daniel; Jörden, Nina Marie (9 April 2021). "Five questions that need answering in a COVID public inquiry". The Conversation. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  19. ^ Goodman, Jo; Prudhoe, Kathryn de; Williams, Charlie (16 January 2021). "UK COVID-19 public inquiry needed to learn lessons and save lives". The Lancet. 397 (10270): 177–180. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32726-4. PMC 7832557. PMID 33357492.
  20. ^ Kmietowicz, Zosia (3 December 2020). "Covid-19: Bereaved families, unions, and charities demand immediate public inquiry to save lives". BMJ. 371: m4729. doi:10.1136/bmj.m4729. ISSN 1756-1833. PMID 33272925.
  21. ^ Conn, David (29 April 2021). "Covid bereaved condemn government refusal to publish NHS 111 training content". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  22. ^ Conn, David (12 June 2020). "Bereaved relatives call for immediate inquiry into Covid-19 crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Public support for Covid inquiry more than twice as high as opposition – poll". The Guardian. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Covid inquiry: What is it and how will it work?". BBC News. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  25. ^ "Coronavirus: Boris Johnson 'heartless' for not meeting bereaved families". BBC News. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  26. ^ a b O'Connor, Mary (11 March 2022). "UK Covid inquiry draft terms of reference set out". BBC News. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  27. ^ a b Smith, Mikey; Sharpe, Amy (16 April 2022). "More than 20,000 Brits demand changes to Covid inquiry after Partygate left out". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  28. ^ McTaggart, India (21 March 2022). "'Airbrushing' children's lockdown experiences from the Covid inquiry is a 'shocking oversight'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  29. ^ Cabinet Office, UK COVID-19 Inquiry: terms of reference, published 28 June 2022, accessed 6 July 2022
  30. ^ Dunton, Jim (11 March 2022). "Covid public inquiry hearings 'will not begin until 2023 at the earliest'". Civil Service World. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  31. ^ Hallett, Heather (11 March 2022). "Chair's open letter to the public" (PDF). UK Covid-19 Inquiry. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Module 1 Preliminary Hearing Agenda – Tuesday 4 October 2022" (PDF). 30 September 2022.
  33. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/29/cabinet-office-may-take-legal-action-to-deny-covid-inquiry-lady-hallett-boris-johnson-material
  34. ^ https://news.sky.com/story/covid-inquiry-government-seeks-judicial-review-over-order-to-hand-over-johnson-whatsapp-messages-12892475
  35. ^ https://news.sky.com/story/covid-inquiry-government-seeks-judicial-review-over-order-to-hand-over-johnson-whatsapp-messages-12892475
  36. ^ https://news.sky.com/story/covid-inquiry-government-seeks-judicial-review-over-order-to-hand-over-johnson-whatsapp-messages-12892475

External links

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