Covid inquiry to lay bare failures before pandemic

The UK government’s failures to properly prepare for a pandemic are expected to be laid bare today 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 also comment on preparations surrounding personal protective equipment (PPE) and a government focused on Brexit.

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”.