COVID-19/Public Inquiry
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| Date | 28 June 2022 - Present |
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The COVID-19/Public 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. In December 2021, Heather Hallett, Baroness Hallett was announced as the chair of the Covid Inquiry.
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 Covid Inquiry being established on 28 June 2022, and England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Background
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.
Boris Johnson announced in May 2021 that an inquiry would take place, and start in spring 2022.
On 15 December 2021, Heather Hallett, Baroness Hallett was announced as the chair of the inquiry. Unlike other public inquiries, a statutory public inquiry has the power to subpoena people and take evidence under oath. The inquiry will be the biggest ever such undertaking by the UK government.
Terms of reference
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.
Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, and Care Campaign for the Vulnerable both criticised the decision to omit Partygate from the terms. A former Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, called the lack of focus on children's experiences in lockdown a "shocking oversight".
Public consultation on the terms ran from 11 March until 7 April 2022 and received over 20,000 responses. Baroness Hallett has said she would consider these responses and present her revised recommendations to Boris Johnson in May 2022. Final terms of reference were published on 28 June 2022, allowing the inquiry to formally commence and public hearings to begin in 2023.[1] The first preliminary public hearing took place on 4 October 2022.[2]
Call for evidence
The Covid Inquiry had called for diaries and WhatsApp messages by Boris Johnson to be handed over but the Cabinet Office supplied only redacted versions. The Inquiry then asked for the unredacted material, which led to an argument in May 2023, with the Cabinet Office contemplating legal arbitration and judicial review over the matter. On 31 May 2023, a spokesman for the former PM said:
- "All Boris Johnson's material - including WhatsApps and notebooks - requested by the Covid Inquiry has been handed to the Cabinet Office in full and in unredacted form.
- "Mr Johnson urges the Cabinet Office to urgently disclose it to the Inquiry.
- "The Cabinet Office has had access to this material for several months. Mr Johnson would immediately disclose it directly to the Inquiry if asked.
- "While Mr Johnson understands the government's position, and does not seek to contradict it, he is perfectly happy for the Inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires."[3]
References
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