While the term coronavirus is no longer part of our daily conversations, the investigation into how the UK handled the pandemic is still ongoing. The respiratory illness that first appeared in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019 led the UK into two years of unprecedented lockdowns beginning in March 2020. By the end of 2023, there had been more than 235,000 COVID-related deaths in the UK, with countless others left grieving, dealing with long-term health effects, or facing financial difficulties. The COVID inquiry was created to examine the decisions made during the crisis and assess how they affected everyday life across the country. Below, we explore what exactly the Covid inquiry is and why Boris Johnson is currently appearing before it.What Is The Covid Public Inquiry And When Did It Start?Boris Johnson launched the Covid inquiry in June 2022, over a year after promising that the government’s pandemic response would be “put under the microscope,” according to the BBC. The announcement followed pressure from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign, which had considered pursuing a judicial review over what it called government “delays.” Johnson stated that the inquiry would review decisions made not only by the UK government but also by the administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The first public hearings were held in London in June 2023, with subsequent sessions in Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast.Public inquiries are set up and funded by the government but are led by an independent chair. They have the authority to require witnesses to provide evidence. They do not determine guilt or innocence, but instead publish conclusions and recommendations, which the government is not required to implement.Who Is Leading The Covid Inquiry?The inquiry is chaired by Baroness Hallett, a former judge and crossbench peer who previously oversaw the inquests into the 7 July London bombings. She has emphasised that the inquiry will place loss and suffering at its centre and assured that it would remain “firmly independent.”What Is The Inquiry Looking At?The inquiry is divided into multiple modules. The first, which examined resilience and preparedness, has concluded, but investigations continue in several other areas:Decision-making and political governance in Westminster, Scotland, Wales, and Northern IrelandImpact on healthcare systems across the UKVaccines, therapeutics, and antiviral treatmentsGovernment procurement and PPEThe care sectorTest-and-trace programmesThe effect on children and young peopleGovernment business and financial interventionsBroader societal impactThere is no fixed timetable for when the inquiry will conclude.What Has Been Published So Far?The report on the first module was released in July 2024. It spans 83,000 words and draws from 103,000 submitted documents and 213 witness statements from 68 individuals. The report concluded that UK citizens were “failed” by the state, particularly due to shortcomings in planning, processes, and civil contingency structures within the UK government and devolved administrations. It noted that the government had prepared for the “wrong pandemic,” focusing on influenza rather than coronaviruses, and suggested that some of the financial and human costs might have been avoided had the focus been different.Boris Johnson And Covid EnquiryWhen former Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave evidence in late 2023, he expressed regret for the “pain, loss, and suffering” caused by the pandemic, though his remarks were interrupted by protesters holding signs that read: “The dead can’t hear your apologies.” Johnson acknowledged personal responsibility for decisions made and admitted that the government “may have made mistakes,” while emphasising that it had done its “level best” to respond to the virus.He was questioned about meeting notes from 19 March 2020 in which he had reportedly asked why the government was “destroying everything for people who will die soon anyway,” referring to “bed blockers.” Johnson explained that the messages were not intended for public release but reflected the “cruelty of the choice” he faced and the “difficult balancing act” required during the pandemic.He also admitted that the severity of the virus should have been recognised before March 2020, apologised for previously dismissing long COVID as “b*******,” and described media coverage of ‘partygate’ as “dramatic.”Boris Johnson’s Current Module In Covid EnquiryOn Tuesday, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied that his government had failed to adequately prepare for the “horror” of school closures during the COVID-19 crisis but apologised for mistakes made. This marked his second appearance before the inquiry he had agreed to establish after pressure from bereaved families. Two years ago, he defended himself against claims that his failure to heed scientific advice contributed to unnecessary deaths.During this recent session, Johnson conceded that the UK government “probably did go too far” with some Covid-19 restrictions and admitted that children bore a “huge, huge price” during the pandemic. He told the inquiry that while ministers and officials were focused on tackling an “appalling public health crisis” in early 2020, the measures taken were, in hindsight, “far too elaborate.”
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