Prime Minister Boris Johnson says there will be an independent public inquiry into the handling of the Covid pandemic. It is set to be held in spring 2022.
Mr Johnson says the government was fully committed to learning at each stage of the crisis. The government’s actions will be put under the microscope, and the inquiry will take evidence under oath.
However, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer questions why the inquiry cannot start earlier. He urges the government to consult the families affected as early as possible. The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK group has been trying to meet with Mr Johnson since last summer. They have been asking for an urgent independent investigation into the pandemic, and call for the inquiry to start this summer.
Due to to the scale of tragedy, the prime minister knows the state has an obligation to examine its actions as much as possible. Learning lessons from the pandemic “is critical to saving lives now and in the future”. He has always said there should be a full independent inquiry when the time is right.
The devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be consulted before outlining the scope of the inquiry.
When is the time right?
Mr Johnson also recognised the need to monitor the threat of new coronavirus variants. If they prove highly transmissible and resistant to vaccines, they have the potential to cause even greater suffering than previously.
He believes there is a likelihood of a surge of infections in the winter. This is when the transmission of respiratory disease is aided by the colder weather, and the NHS will be under most pressure. This is why he thinks the right moment for the inquiry to begin is in spring next year, as it is at the end of this period.
But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer wanted to know whether the inquiry would formally open in spring or whether that is just when it will start to be established.
Mr Johnson replied that work will start before next spring to establish the terms and chairman of the inquiry. This is when it will get under way, and some key decisions will be made. He does not want people to devote their time to it, when they should be concentrating on saving lives. When we are more confident that the pandemic is behind us, time can be spent on the inquiry.
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