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The UK’s official Covid-19 inquiry, one of the biggest and likely most expensive investigations in British history, has heard how former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was ill-suited to the crisis and oversaw a damaging culture that involved drinks parties in his offices while the public were told to stay at home. It could also herald danger for current premier Rishi Sunak, who has tried to distance himself from Johnson’s administration ahead of a general election expected next year but cannot escape the fact he was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the height of the pandemic.
1. What is the aim of the Covid inquiry?
Led by retired judge and crossbench peer Heather Hallett, the probe aims to scrutinize and learn lessons from key aspects of the UK’s pandemic response. Ultimately, its goal is to lead to improvements in public institutions in case of a future crisis. It is also seen as hugely important and cathartic for the families of more than 230,000 people who have so far died with Covid in Britain.
2. Why has the UK government faced criticism?
While Britain was praised for a relatively fast vaccine roll-out, there were early problems with testing for and tracing the virus, and the National Health Service was already lagging behind European peers in numbers of hospital beds and medical technology. The timing of the first lockdown in March 2020 has been a topic of fierce debate, with critics warning ministers were too late to limit the spread of the disease. Others believe lockdowns were too oppressive, with huge implications for the economy, schools and people’s health. Sunak faces scrutiny over his “Eat Out to Help Out” program, which subsidized meals in pubs and restaurants in the summer of 2020 to support the flailing hospitality sector. Some scientific experts have said it’s likely that the plan increased Covid infections and deaths. The probe has also raised questions of transparency, amid claims that many WhatsApp messages were not retained by ministers and officials.
3. How is the inquiry organized and when will it report?
The inquiry, which began public hearings in June, has the power to compel witnesses to give evidence under oath and demand documents. It is split into a series of “modules” including how prepared Britain was to handle the crisis, the government’s decision-making when Covid hit, the impact on healthcare systems, how vaccines were secured and rolled out, and the procurement of protective equipment and ventilators. Hearings are expected to continue until 2026, with a final report likely not due until 2027 — almost halfway through the next government. Crucially, though, a series of interim reports will be produced before then. The first is expected in 2024, which could give Sunak the option to respond and potentially introduce changes before the election.
4. What’s at stake for the government?
Sunak promised accountability and transparency when he became Conservative Party leader and prime minister in October 2022, following a prolonged period of political turmoil. Yet he risks now being associated with a broken system of government that critics believe failed the public at a time of crisis. With the Tories languishing behind Keir Starmer’s Labour Party by around 20 percentage points in national opinion polls, Sunak is eager to move voters’ attentions onto his priorities for the future. The high-profile inquiry drags the national gaze back onto the Conservatives’ failures and the “Partygate” scandal that played a major part in Johnson’s downfall.
5. Why is the inquiry also facing criticism?
The inquiry has faced criticism that it’s failing to ask enough questions about whether lockdowns were necessary and is instead fixated on the toxic culture in Number 10. Jonathan Sumption, a former Supreme Court judge, warned in November the probe was “creating a built-in bias in favor of lockdowns” — with too much focus on the quality of government decision-making rather than the efficacy of tough restrictions. The probe is more interested in assigning blame than learning lessons, he said. Carl Heneghan, an epidemiologist and academic at Oxford University, also described the inquiry as “a farce — a spectacle of hysteria, name-calling and trivialities.”
1. What is the aim of the Covid inquiry?
Led by retired judge and crossbench peer Heather Hallett, the probe aims to scrutinize and learn lessons from key aspects of the UK’s pandemic response. Ultimately, its goal is to lead to improvements in public institutions in case of a future crisis. It is also seen as hugely important and cathartic for the families of more than 230,000 people who have so far died with Covid in Britain.
2. Why has the UK government faced criticism?
While Britain was praised for a relatively fast vaccine roll-out, there were early problems with testing for and tracing the virus, and the National Health Service was already lagging behind European peers in numbers of hospital beds and medical technology. The timing of the first lockdown in March 2020 has been a topic of fierce debate, with critics warning ministers were too late to limit the spread of the disease. Others believe lockdowns were too oppressive, with huge implications for the economy, schools and people’s health. Sunak faces scrutiny over his “Eat Out to Help Out” program, which subsidized meals in pubs and restaurants in the summer of 2020 to support the flailing hospitality sector. Some scientific experts have said it’s likely that the plan increased Covid infections and deaths. The probe has also raised questions of transparency, amid claims that many WhatsApp messages were not retained by ministers and officials.
3. How is the inquiry organized and when will it report?
The inquiry, which began public hearings in June, has the power to compel witnesses to give evidence under oath and demand documents. It is split into a series of “modules” including how prepared Britain was to handle the crisis, the government’s decision-making when Covid hit, the impact on healthcare systems, how vaccines were secured and rolled out, and the procurement of protective equipment and ventilators. Hearings are expected to continue until 2026, with a final report likely not due until 2027 — almost halfway through the next government. Crucially, though, a series of interim reports will be produced before then. The first is expected in 2024, which could give Sunak the option to respond and potentially introduce changes before the election.
4. What’s at stake for the government?
Sunak promised accountability and transparency when he became Conservative Party leader and prime minister in October 2022, following a prolonged period of political turmoil. Yet he risks now being associated with a broken system of government that critics believe failed the public at a time of crisis. With the Tories languishing behind Keir Starmer’s Labour Party by around 20 percentage points in national opinion polls, Sunak is eager to move voters’ attentions onto his priorities for the future. The high-profile inquiry drags the national gaze back onto the Conservatives’ failures and the “Partygate” scandal that played a major part in Johnson’s downfall.
5. Why is the inquiry also facing criticism?
The inquiry has faced criticism that it’s failing to ask enough questions about whether lockdowns were necessary and is instead fixated on the toxic culture in Number 10. Jonathan Sumption, a former Supreme Court judge, warned in November the probe was “creating a built-in bias in favor of lockdowns” — with too much focus on the quality of government decision-making rather than the efficacy of tough restrictions. The probe is more interested in assigning blame than learning lessons, he said. Carl Heneghan, an epidemiologist and academic at Oxford University, also described the inquiry as “a farce — a spectacle of hysteria, name-calling and trivialities.”
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