Covid inquiry report live: Deaths ‘may been avoided’ if government was not ‘ill-prepared’, findings show

The Covid inquiry has published its first report on the UK's handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, criticising Boris Johnson's Conservative government for a lack of preparedness.

The report lays bare the government's failures to plan for the pandemic. Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett named the impacts of Brexit, Conservative austerity and a failure to prepare personal protective equipment stocks.

A major flaw, according to the inquiry, was the lack of “a system that could be scaled up to test, trace and isolate” people.

The report added: “Despite reams of documentation, planning guidance was insufficiently robust and flexible, and policy documentation was outdated, unnecessarily bureaucratic and infected by jargon.”

Covid-related deaths could have been avoided if the UK had been better prepared for a pandemic, the report also suggested.

Highlighting the “massive financial, economic and human cost of the Covid-19 pandemic”, it finds: “Had the UK been better prepared for and more resilient to the pandemic, some of that financial and human cost may have been avoided.”

Lady Hallett also made several recommendations in the report about how the UK can better prepare itself for a future outbreak.

Key Points

• Covid-19 Inquiry: Government and the civil service ‘failed’ the public

• Key findings from damning report

• More investigations to come

• Hancock says UK came within 'hours' of running out of vital drugs during pandemic

Welsh response to Covid ‘hampered by undue complexity’

16:00 , Tara Cobham

The Welsh government’s response to the Covid pandemic was “hampered by undue complexity,” a public inquiry has found.

In its first report into preparedness for a pandemic, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has branded the system in Wales “labyrinthine” with failed opportunities to create a coherent structure.

Opposition parties have branded the report “damning” and say it “exposes serious and significant failings on the part of the Labour Welsh government”.

Vaughan Gething, the outgoing First Minister of Wales, has said the report will be studied in detail and motions brought to the Senedd to address shortcomings.

State failed its people and lives could’ve been saved, says BMA chair

15:29 , Tara Cobham

The chairman of the British Medical Association has said the damning Covid-19 inquiry’s first report has confirmed that “the state has failed its people and that lives could have been saved through better pandemic planning, preparedness and different decisions”.

Speaking at the National Covid Memorial Wall this afternoon, Professor Philip Banfield blamed a decade of austerity that he said ended up costing lives, the economy and jobs rather than bringing the promised “efficiency savings”.

He described “catastrophic failings that cost hundreds of thousands of lives”.

Bereaved families and healthcare workers call for their voices to be heard

15:23 , Tara Cobham

Bereaved families and healthcare workers have called for their voices to be heard in preparation for when the next pandemic inevitably hits.

Speaking at the National Covid Memorial Wall this afternoon, a member of the Covid-19 Families for Justice said: “Please listen to those that were there, whether they were bereaved or healthcare workers.”

Dr Saleyha Ashan, who worked in a hospital in Bangor, Wales, during the first two coronavirus waves, said she is not surprised by the findings of the first Covid-19 inquiry report.

Dr Ashan, whose father died in December 2020 after contracting the virus, described being “disgusted” by the people who knew that “we had nothing in the tank” when the pandemic struck.

Dr Ashan, who is also a trained army medic, said the reality highlighted by Baroness Hallett that there will be another pandemic “terrifies me”, warning: “We’ve got one chance of getting it right – and that’s now.”

Lack of test, trace and isolate system when pandemic hit is identified as among failures

15:14 , Tara Cobham

The chair of the UK Covid-19 public inquiry said that one of the first lines of defence in a pandemic is “containment” but a system of test, trace and isolate “did not exist in the UK when the pandemic struck”.

Lady Hallett said: “To give but one vitally important example: one of the first lines of defence to a pandemic is containment and this requires a system of test, trace and isolate that can be rapidly scaled up to meet the demands of a major outbreak.

“This did not exist in the UK when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.”

She added: “The UK government’s sole pandemic strategy, from 2011, was outdated and lacked adaptability.

“It was never in fact properly tested. The UK government neither applied it nor adapted it and the doctrine that underpinned it was ultimately abandoned, as was the 2011 strategy itself.”

Local Government Association responds to Covid report

14:55 , Albert Toth

Responding to the publication of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry Module 1 report into the preparedness for the pandemic, Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the Local Government Association, said:

“This is a hugely important report by Baroness Hallett and, on behalf of local government, we thank her for her work to help the nation reflect on and understand what happened. At the heart of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry are the bereaved families and survivors, and it is important that we now look carefully at the findings and recommendations and learn lessons for the future.

“Local government in England and Wales responded quickly to the pandemic to help protect and support their residents in unprecedented circumstances, using the expertise, capability and innovation of the sector at a time of national crisis. However, as we made clear to the Inquiry in our evidence and statements, too often central government hasn’t understood the role of local government, what it does and what it is capable of doing. This has meant that local knowledge and expertise was at times overlooked.

“It is good to see that the Inquiry's report recognises the important role local government and directors of public health have to play in the response to any pandemic and as part of a whole system civil emergency response going forward.

“As we said in our closing statement to the Inquiry, the LGA and the WLGA stand ready to work collaboratively with councils and the Government to play our part in future preparedness. It is vital that local government is at the heart of developing the response to the Inquiry’s 10 recommendations.”

Starmer vows government ‘will learn lessons’ from Covid inquiry

14:52 , Tara Cobham

Sir Keir Starmer has said the Government will “carefully consider the recommendations” of the first UK Covid-19 Inquiry report and “will learn lessons”.

In a written ministerial statement, the Prime Minister said: “The Government’s first responsibility is to keep the public safe, and as Prime Minister I am personally committed to each and every family that lost loved ones, and whose lives were changed forever, that this Government will learn the lessons from the Inquiry.

“This means ensuring that the UK is prepared for a future pandemic, as well as the broadest range of potential risks facing our country.

“That is a top priority for this government and what everyone should rightly expect from a government working in their service.

“The Government is committed to working with our colleagues in the devolved governments, mayors and local partners as we carefully consider the recommendations in the report, as their efforts are vital to ensuring the resilience of the whole of the United Kingdom.

“I would like to thank Baroness Hallett and her team for their thorough work on this report. The Government will carefully consider all of the findings and recommendations of the report in the context of the Government’s overall approach to resilience.”

Covid FLiRT variant: What you need to know as a new strain spreads across the UK

14:28 , Albert Toth

Amid the publication of the the Covid inquiry’s first report into the government’s handling of the pandemic, the UK is still seeing some infections.

A new variant named ‘FLiRT’ has caused many to become ill recently, with some health experts suggesting that the strain may be able evade immunity, which is why people who have been vaccinated are still getting ill.

Here’s everything you need to know:

New FLiRT Covid variant spreading across the UK as doctors issue summer warning

Watch: Covid inquiry chair’s chilling six-word warning as bombshell first report published

14:00 , Albert Toth

Covid inquiry chair Baroness Hallett issues a chilling warning as the first report into the UK’s preparedness for a pandemic was released on Thursday, 18 July.

Covid inquiry chair’s chilling six-word warning as bombshell first report published

“Covid Inquiry Report must be a moment for change” say Lib Dems

13:51 , Albert Toth

Commenting on the first Covid Inquiry Report, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

“Today’s damning findings confirm in black and white what we unfortunately already knew.

“Our hearts go out to all those who lost loved ones during the pandemic, yet sadly these findings of systematic and political failings will provide little comfort for thousands of grieving families.

“Today must be a moment for change. The country was badly let down during the pandemic and this new government must ensure that lessons are learnt swiftly.

“The Liberal Democrats called for an inquiry in 2020, and we will continue to demand that the full facts are known about every aspect of this catastrophic failure.”

Green Party warns UK in ‘worse position to deal with pandemic today’ due to NHS crisis

13:47 , Tara Cobham

The Green Party warned that the UK “is in an even worse position to deal with a pandemic today” than it was four years ago because of the NHS crisis.

North Herefordshire MP Ellie Chowns said: “Our thoughts today are with the families of the over 230,000 people who have died from Covid-19, the key workers who risked their lives to keep the country going and countless others who had to make terrible sacrifices when Covid-19 first struck.

“As this report lays bare the awful truth is that many of those deaths, and the subsequent lengthy lockdowns we had to endure to bring cases down, would have been avoided if better preparation had been in place. We simply can never allow these failures to be repeated.

“The grim truth is that the UK is in an even worse position to deal with a pandemic today than it was at the start of 2020. With our NHS overstretched, lengthy waiting lists and a demoralised workforce.

“The Government should commit to adopting the recommendations made by the Covid inquiry, but just as importantly they must match our pledge to invest £30 billion-a-year in the NHS by 2030, to ensure we have infrastructure, workforce and equipment in place that we need. The cost is miniscule compared to what will be required if another pandemic strikes whilst our health service is in its current state.”

British Red Cross welcomes inquiry's calls for body to advise on planning ahead of next pandemic

13:44 , Tara Cobham

The British Red Cross has welcomed the Covid-19 inquiry’s call to establish an independent body to advise the UK government on emergency preparedness ahead of the next pandemic.

Lisa Hollins, British Red Cross Executive Director of UK Operations, said: “We welcome the inquiry’s recommendation that an independent body should be created to provide advice to the UK and devolved governments on emergency preparedness. But, as with so many public inquiries, the measure of success will be whether actions are taken as a result of the recommendations.

“COVID-19 had a profound impact on people’s health, wellbeing and livelihoods and the long lasting effects are still being felt by communities.

“This inquiry is a vital way to reflect on what happened in the UK and hear from a range of voices so we learn the lessons from the pandemic, improve how we prepare and respond so no one is left behind.

“We must put people and communities at the heart of our emergency response, with a clearer focus on those who are most at risk. Addressing the impact of underlying inequalities must form part of the response to this inquiry, to improve people’s resilience ahead of future emergencies.”

Bereaved families accuse Baroness Hallett of ‘not going far enough’ over inequalities

13:42 , Tara Cobham

Baroness Heather Hallett “has not gone far enough” in setting out how the UK can improve inequalities that were laid bare during the pandemic, bereaved families have said.

A spokesperson for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK group, speaking outside the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Thursday, said: “We, the bereaved families, whose experiences speak to the very heart of what went wrong, are relieved to see many of our recommendations reflected in Lady Hallett’s report, in particular those that address the structures required to ensure that the UK is prepared and resilient to face the inevitable future pandemic.

“However, while the inquiry has diagnosed much of what undermined our response, Lady Hallett has not gone far enough in setting out how we can challenge, address and improve inequalities and capacity of public services as opposed to just understanding the effects of these failures.

“We ask for this Government to produce a plan to address health inequalities and in its first 100 days conduct a cross-departmental audit into pandemic preparedness.

“We are also calling for the Government to establish a minister for resilience and preparedness. We need somebody with ultimate responsibility for an emergency response who we can hold to account.”

Public services 'beyond capacity' going into pandemic, finds report

13:36 , Albert Toth

The UK’s public services were “running close to, if not beyond, capacity” before the pandemic struck in 2020, the Covid-19 inquiry’s first report has said.

It finds: “In 2020, the UK lacked resilience. Going into the pandemic, there had been a slowdown in health improvement, and health inequalities had widened.”

“High pre-existing levels of heart disease, diabetes, respiratory illness and obesity, and general levels of ill-health and health inequalities, meant that the UK was more vulnerable. Public services, particularly health and social care, were running close to, if not beyond, capacity in normal times.”

Deaths could have been avoided if UK had been better prepared for pandemic, suggests report

13:29 , Albert Toth

Covid-related deaths could have been avoided if the UK had been better prepared for a pandemic, the Covid-19 inquiry’s first report has suggested.

Highlighting the “massive financial, economic and human cost of the Covid-19 pandemic”, it finds: “Had the UK been better prepared for and more resilient to the pandemic, some of that financial and human cost may have been avoided.”

Expert advice undermined by 'groupthink', finds report

13:21 , Tara Cobham

The report published on Thursday found expert advice on planning for the pandemic was “often undermined by ‘groupthink’”.

Calling for an improvement for in the provision of advice, the Covid-19 inquiry also found advisers did not have sufficient freedom and autonomy to express dissenting views.

Pandemic preparations were paused due to Brexit, finds report

13:12 , Tara Cobham

The Covid-19 inquiry’s report has found “a number” of pandemic preparation efforts were paused due to resources being reallocated to Brexit instead.

As highlighted frequently in the evidence, the inquiry’s first report pointed to the repeated reprioritisation of limited resources as a cause of inaction when it came to planning for a pandemic.

It finds: “This was no better highlighted than when several witnesses from the UK government and devolved administrations told the Inquiry that a number of workstreams for pandemic preparedness were paused due to a reallocation of resources to Operation Yellowhammer [the UK government’s contingency planning for a ‘no deal’ exit from the European Union].”

Brexit planning blamed for delays in preparing for pandemic, finds report

13:00 , Albert Toth

The demands of planning for Brexit is at least partly to blame for further delays in preparing for a pandemic, the Covid-19 inquiry’s first report has found.

In its 217-page report published on Thursday, the inquiry finds that the programme for planning for a flu pandemic in England was running years behind schedule by January 2020.

It says: “The programme, which was running two years behind schedule, had been further delayed due to a combination of resourcing issues and the demands of Operation Yellowhammer (the UK government’s contingency planning for a ‘no deal’ exit from the European Union).”

Prime minister Keir Starmer pays tribute to Covid key workers after inquiry report

12:53 , Albert Toth

Sir Keir Starmer said the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s report confirmed that “the UK was under-prepared for Covid-19” and that policy “failed UK citizens”.

The Prime Minister said in a statement: “The memories brought about by the inquiry will be very difficult for many people. My heartfelt sympathies go out to all those who lost a loved one during that time.

“The pandemic showed us that the backbone of Britain is made up of those committing their lives to service – key workers like carers, nurses, paramedics, cleaners and teachers. They put themselves in the eye of the storm, and together with people up and down the country, many of them lost their lives or are still living with the impact of the virus.

“Today’s report confirms what many have always believed – that the UK was under-prepared for Covid-19, and that process, planning and policy across all four nations failed UK citizens.

“The safety and security of the country should always be the first priority, and this government is committed to learning the lessons from the inquiry and putting better measures in place to protect and prepare us from the impact of any future pandemic”.

In pictures: Lady Hallett delivers damning Covid inquiry report

12:49 , Albert Toth

The chair of the Covid inquiry presents the findings its 217-page report. She said: “In 2020, the UK lacked resilience.”

Describing health inequalities as having widened, she said: “Public services were running close to if not beyond capacity in normal times.”

Chair urges lessons learned or 'human and financial costs of pandemic will have been in vain'

12:39 , Albert Toth

The chair of the Covid-19 inquiry has urged that lessons be learned upon the publication of the inquiry’s first report - otherwise, she warned “the human and financial costs of the Covid-19 pandemic will have been in vain”.

Baroness Hallett called for “fundamental change” in preparedness for when the next pandemic strikes.

UK Government and the civil service ‘failed’ the public, Covid inquiry finds

12:28 , Albert Toth

The UK Government and the civil service “failed” the public due to “significant flaws” in preparing for the Covid-19 pandemic, a public inquiry has found.

In its first report into preparedness for a pandemic, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry said there was a “damaging absence of focus” on the measures and infrastructure that would be needed to deal with a fast-spreading disease, even though a coronavirus outbreak at pandemic scale “was forseeable”.

Government failed public by preparing for wrong pandemic, Covid inquiry finds

UK citizens failed as 'serious errors' made by state, says Baroness Hallett

12:18 , Albert Toth

The chair of the Covid-19 inquiry has said citizens across the UK were failed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with “serious errors” made by the state.

Presenting her findings upon the publication of its first report, she said: “I have no hesitation in concluding that the processes, planning and policy of the civil contingency structures across the UK failed the citizens of all four nations.

“There were serious errors on behalf of the state and serious flaws in our civil emergency systems.”

She warned: “This cannot be allowed to happen again.”

Belief UK was properly prepared for pandemic was 'dangerously mistaken'

12:13 , Albert Toth

Baroness Hallett has called the belief that the UK was properly prepared for a pandemic “dangerously mistaken”.

Presenting the findings of the Covid-19 inquiry’s first report, the chair said, in 2019, it was widely thought the UK wasn’t only properly prepared, but one of the best in the world in terms of preparedness.

She said: “This belief was dangerously mistaken.”

Key findings from damning report

12:03 , Tara Cobham

The report found:

– The UK “prepared for the wrong pandemic”, namely a flu pandemic. Furthermore, this flu plan was “inadequate for a global pandemic of the kind that struck”.

– In the years leading up to the pandemic, “there was a lack of adequate leadership, coordination and oversight”. Ministers “failed to challenge sufficiently the advice they did receive from officials and advisers”, and they did not receive a broad enough range of scientific opinion and policy options.

– Groups advising the Government “did not have sufficient freedom and autonomy to express dissenting views”, there was a lack of challenge to what was said, and the advice was often undermined by “groupthink”.

– The institutions and structures responsible for emergency planning throughout government were “labyrinthine” in how complex they were.

– There were “fatal strategic flaws” in the assessment of the risks facing the UK, including a future pandemic.

– Emergency planning generally failed to account for how the vulnerable would be looked after, as well as those at most risk due to existing poor health, and the deprivation and societal differences already present in the UK.

– There was a “failure to learn sufficiently” from past exercises designed to test the UK’s response to the spread of disease.

– The “recent experiences of Sars and Mers meant that another coronavirus outbreak at pandemic scale was foreseeable. It was not a black swan event. The absence of such a scenario from the risk assessments was a fundamental error of the Department of Health and Social Care and the Civil Contingencies Secretariat. The UK government and devolved administrations could and should have assessed the risk of a novel pathogen to reach pandemic scale”.

– Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, “there was no exercising of measures such as mass testing, mass contact tracing mandated social distancing or lockdowns”.

– The scenario of an emerging infectious disease reaching pandemic scale and requiring contact tracing as a first step to controlling its spread “was not considered”.

Covid-19 Inquiry: Government and the civil service ‘failed’ the public

12:01 , Albert Toth

The UK Government and the civil service “failed” the public due to “significant flaws” in preparing for the Covid-19 pandemic, a public inquiry has found.

In its first report into preparedness for a pandemic, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry said there was a “damaging absence of focus” on the measures and infrastructure that would be needed to deal with a fast-spreading disease, even though a coronavirus outbreak at pandemic scale “was forseeable”.

A major flaw, according to the inquiry, was the lack of “a system that could be scaled up to test, trace and isolate” people.

The report added: “Despite reams of documentation, planning guidance was insufficiently robust and flexible, and policy documentation was outdated, unnecessarily bureaucratic and infected by jargon.”

Key findings from 2023 Covid inquiry show NHS failed to prepare PPE amid ‘carousel of chaos’

11:26 , Tara Cobham

Key evidence to the Covid-19 inquiry in 2023 revealed the UK government presided over a ‘carousel of chaos’ during the onset of the pandemic.

On Thursday afternoon Baroness Heather Hallett will report on how well the UK was able to face a deadly outbreak in the run-up to 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic swept across Britain.

Among the failings to be identified Baroness Hallet is expected to highlight the UK’s focus on preparing for a flu pandemic instead of a coronavirus pandemic.

Matt Mathers and Rebecca Thomas report:

Key findings from the 2023 Covid inquiry reveal UK ‘carousel of chaos’

Sturgeon told off at inquiry for getting on her ‘soap box’ and criticising impact of Brexit

10:36 , Health correspondent Rebecca Thomas

Former first minister for Scotland Nicola Sturgeon during evidence last year argued no-deal Brexit threats damaged the UK's ability to prepare for health emergencies.

The ex-SNP leader told the inquiry “Every aspect of Brexit has been a false economy.”

Inquiry lawyer Hugo Keith KC rebuked Ms Sturgeon for straying into politics, telling her: “That is a witness box, not a soap box.”

Hancock says UK came within 'hours' of running out of vital drugs during pandemic

10:35 , Health correspondent Rebecca Thomas

Former health secretary Matt Hancock also revealed that the UK came “within hours” of running out of vital medicines for intensive care units at the height of the pandemic.

However, he said that the planning that had been undertaken in preparation for a no-deal Brexit meant hospitals were able to cope.

Former health secretary denied Brexit ‘crowded out’ work to prepare for pandemic

10:34 , Health correspondent Rebecca Thomas

Former health secretary Matt Hancock and former deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden both defended suggestions from inquiry lawyer Hugo Keith KC that Brexit could have "crowded out and prevented" the work that was needed to improve pandemic preparedness. Mr Dowden claimed that planning for a no-deal Brexit made the UK “match fit” for the Covid pandemic. The former deputy prime minister was asked about a 2019 memo about the National Security Council threats programme which suggested that work on pandemic influenza was expected to be affected by the “step-up in planning for a no-deal exit from the EU”.

Mr Dowden said: “It was the case at that time that ‘no deal’ was the default position of the government … this is worth remembering the kind of frankly, apocryphal warnings that were being delivered about the consequences of no-deal Brexit.”

Hancock admitted UK was not properly prepared for Covid pandemic

10:32 , Health correspondent Rebecca Thomas

Matt Hancock, who served as health secretary at the outbreak of the pandemic, admitted during questioning last year that the UK was not properly prepared for the Covid pandemic – claiming officials were more concerned with counting bodybags than preventing the spread of the virus. The former health secretary described the failure to plan as an “absolute tragedy” and repeatedly insisted that the government’s approach had been “completely wrong”.

He conceded that pre-pandemic plans to protect care homes had been “terrible”, saying the care sector was in “nowhere near good enough shape” when Covid struck.

Hunt admitted being part of ‘groupthink’ that led to ‘narrowness of thinking'

10:24 , Health correspondent Rebecca Thomas

When giving evidence on 28 June to the Covid-19 Inquiry, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, admitted being part of “groupthink” when he was health secretary, leading to a “narrowness of thinking” that failed to expand UK pandemic preparedness beyond planning for a flu outbreak.

The focus on any future pandemic being flu-based meant there was a “shared assumption that herd immunity was inevitably” going to be the strategy used to contain a new virus, he told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

The senior Conservative politician, who was health secretary between 2012 and 2018, said studies by the likes of Johns Hopkins University in the US had viewed the UK as being “very good at dealing with pandemics” but said that assumption proved to be “completely wrong”.

What did politicians say in evidence given to Covid inquiry

09:51 , Tara Cobham

Key politicians, scientists and health experts appeared as witnesses during the first module of the inquiry – which is titled Resilience and Preparedness.

Former health secretaries Matt Hancock and Jeremy Hunt were put under the spotlight during oral evidence sessions, alongside former prime minister Lord Cameron and former levelling up secretary Michael Gove.

Lord Cameron conceded it was a “mistake” for his government to focus too heavily on preparations for combating a wave of influenza rather than a coronavirus-like pandemic.

But he defended the programme of austerity cuts to public services under his leadership between 2010 and 2016, which medics and unions have blamed for leaving the NHS in a “parlous state”.

Mr Hunt admitted being part of “groupthink” when he was health secretary, leading to a “narrowness of thinking” that failed to expand UK pandemic preparedness beyond planning for a flu outbreak.

And Mr Hancock said it was a “colossal” failure to assume the spread of the virus could not be stopped.

Meanwhile, Mr Gove argued that planning for a no-deal Brexit made the UK “more match fit” for dealing with the pandemic. He denied that moving staff over to Brexit work had a detrimental effect on pandemic planning when he appeared before the inquiry in July last year.

Brexit likely to be blamed as UK pandemic plan failures set to be laid bare

09:20 , Tara Cobham

Brexit is expected to at least partly be blamed as failures to properly plan for a pandemic in the UK are expected to be laid bare in the Covid-19 Inquiry report today.

Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett could comment on preparations surrounding personal protective equipment (PPE) and a government focused on Brexit.

The report is also expected to highlight the UK’s focus on preparing for a flu pandemic instead of a coronavirus pandemic.

Lady Hallett may also highlight how austerity measures led to public health cut backs.

UK Covid inquiry to finally lay bare failures of government and politicians during pandemic

08:40 , Tara Cobham

The UK government’s failures to properly prepare for a pandemic are expected to be laid bare on Thursday as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry publishes its first report.

Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett will report on how well the UK was able to face a deadly outbreak in the run-up to 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic swept across Britain.

The report is expected to highlight the UK’s focus on preparing for a flu pandemic instead of a coronavirus pandemic.

Here’s the full story:

Covid inquiry to finally lay bare failure of government and politicians in pandemic

Doctors issue summer warning as new Covid variant spreading across UK

07:00 , Jane Dalton

New variants of Covid have started to spread across the UK, prompting doctors to warn people to beware catching the new strains:

New FLiRT Covid variant spreading across the UK as doctors issue summer warning

Top scientist said government made same Covid mistake three times

06:00 , Jane Dalton

Boris Johnson’s government repeatedly made the same mistake of “watching and waiting” before taking action in the face of soaring infections, the UK’s chief scientific adviser told the Covid inquiry in November:

Scientist who called PM Dr Death says government made same Covid mistake three times

Infections and deaths rise slightly this summer compared with spring

05:00 , Jane Dalton

Many people seem to either have or know someone with Covid again. As reports of Covid infections rise, here are the latest official figures from the UK Health Security Agency:

Opinion: Inquiry descended into TV game show

04:00 , Jane Dalton

In December last year, Matt Hancock’s being forced to deny he was a liar was the highlight of an undignified circus, wrote John Rentoul:

The Covid inquiry has descended into a tabloid TV game show

What the nine modules are covering

03:00 , Jane Dalton

The first inquiry module, called Resilience and Preparedness, focused on planning for a pandemic.

The second focused on core UK decision-making and political governance.

The third looks at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare systems in the four nations of the UK.

Others are examining vaccines and therapeutics; procurement; the care sector and the “test, trace and isolate” strategy.

Modules announced but not yet opened will cover children and young people; and the economic response.

Watch: Covid victims remembered at memorial wall ceremony

02:00 , Jane Dalton

Expert calls for counterterrorism-style planning to plan for next disease

01:00 , Jane Dalton

One leading expert says officials should prepare for future pandemic threats with counterterrorism-style approaches.

Professor Liam Smeeth, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “The key lesson from the first UK Covid Inquiry report is that if the UK waits for the next pandemic to emerge, it will be too late.

“The fight against pandemics is like counterterrorism: we must use similar approaches such as gathering and sharing the best intelligence on global disease threats and joining forces to confront outbreaks before they become pandemics.

“Like terrorists, lethal viruses take no notice of national borders and can strike anywhere at any time.

“We have to work with global partners to combat this global threat: this means not just improving our planning, surveillance, and ability to respond in the UK, but supporting those on the front line fighting outbreaks around the world.”

Academics have said it is a question of “when not if” another pandemic will hit, so it is hoped that recommendations, if implemented, could put the UK in a better starting place to face a new and unknown disease – known by many as Disease X.

Advice could save lives in future, say campaigners

Thursday 18 July 2024 00:01 , Jane Dalton

Campaigners for people who lost loved ones in the pandemic said the inquiry’s recommendations have the potential to save lives in the future.

Brenda Doherty, on behalf of Covid 19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said: “The publication of the module one report marks a huge milestone for bereaved families like mine.

“We know that for lives to be saved in the future, lessons must be learnt from the mistakes of the past.

“Sadly, nobody knows the true cost of the government’s failure to prepare as we do.

“From campaigning to bring about an inquiry to hearing revelation after revelation regarding the ways in which our loved ones were failed, the years leading up to today have been draining.

“We know, however, that the inquiry’s recommendations have the potential to save lives in the future, if lessons have been learnt from the loss of our loved ones.”

Government accused of ‘eye-watering waste’ for burning unused PPE in China

Wednesday 17 July 2024 23:25 , Jane Dalton

In opposition, Labour criticised the “eye-watering waste” of burning half a billion pieces of unused Covid protective gear in China:

Boris Johnson admitted ‘no consideration’ of testing patients moving to care homes

Wednesday 17 July 2024 22:40 , Jane Dalton

The testimony of ex-PM Boris Johnson to the second module of the inquiry, about core decision-making, was long awaited. These are the highlights of his evidence:

The ten key takeaways from Boris Johnson’s UK Covid inquiry witness statement

More investigations to come

Wednesday 17 July 2024 21:55 , Jane Dalton

The first module of the public inquiry, which began on 13 June last year, examined whether “the pandemic was properly planned for and whether the UK was adequately ready for that eventuality”.

Its findings and recommendations will be published at noon on Thursday, when inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett will make a statement.

So far, eight investigations are under way.

The ninth module will examine the economic response to the pandemic, which is likely to examine the actions of Rishi Sunak, who was chancellor at the time.

Hancock ‘wanted to decide who should live or die if NHS was overwhelmed’

Wednesday 17 July 2024 21:20 , Jane Dalton

From one of our live blogs last year: Matt Hancock, when he was health secretary, believed that he – rather than doctors or the public – should decide “who should live and who should die” if hospitals became overwhelmed with Covid patients, a former NHS chief executive said:

Hancock ‘wanted to decide who should live or die if NHS overwhelmed’ – live

Everything you need to know about the inquiry

Wednesday 17 July 2024 20:40 , Jane Dalton

By poring over hundreds of documents, scrutinising the details and hearing testimony on all aspects of the UK’s response to a global disaster that claimed more than 227,000 British lives, the inquiry hopes to draw clear conclusions and perhaps provide a degree of closure for those traumatised or in mourning:

Everything you need to know about the Covid inquiry

‘Failures to prepare’ under the spotlight

Wednesday 17 July 2024 20:16 , Jane Dalton

“Failures to properly prepare” for a pandemic in the UK are expected to come under the spotlight on Thursday as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry publishes its first report.

Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett will report on how well the UK was able to face a deadly outbreak in the run up to 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic swept across Britain.

The report is expected to highlight the UK’s focus on preparing for a flu pandemic instead of a coronavirus pandemic.

Lady Hallett may highlight how austerity measures led to public health cutbacks.

She could potentially also comment on preparations surrounding personal protective equipment (PPE) and a government focused on Brexit.