Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Inquiry blames flawed planning and leadership for Covid failures

The report said had preparation been better, the financial and human cost might have been less

Inquiry blames flawed planning and leadership for Covid failures

BRITAIN let down its citizens by leaving the nation ill-prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic because of significantly flawed planning and failures by ministers and scientific experts, a public inquiry concluded in a scathing report on Thursday (18).

The country recorded more than 230,000 deaths by December 2023, a similar death rate to the US and Italy but higher than elsewhere in western Europe, while the nation's finances are still suffering.


Former prime minister Boris Johnson ordered an inquiry in May 2021, and its first report was damning, saying had preparation been better, the financial and human cost might have been less.

"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," said the inquiry chair, former judge Heather Hallett.

"There were serious errors on the part of the state and serious flaws in our civil emergency systems. This cannot be allowed to happen again."

She said Britain had been "dangerously mistaken" in believing, as others across the world had also thought, that it was one of the best prepared countries globally,

Her report found there had been a "lack of adequate leadership" with "groupthink" clouding expert advice. Ministers had not been given a broad enough range of opinions, and then had failed to sufficiently challenge what they did receive.

GettyImages 1755894754 FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator holds a sign as they stand outside of the venue for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry in west London, on October 31, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

A flawed 2011 strategy, which had underpinned the nation's preparations for such an emergency, had prepared for only one type of pandemic - influenza.

It was outdated, had focused on dealing with the impact of an outbreak rather than trying to prevent its spread, and had not taken into account the economic and social impact, the report said. That strategy was virtually abandoned on its first encounter with Covid.

"The secretaries of state for health ... who adhered to the strategy, the experts and officials who advised them to do so, and the governments of the devolved nations that adopted it, all bear responsibility for failing to have these flaws examined and rectified," the report said.

Hallett made 10 recommendations, saying preparation for a civil emergency should be treated the same way as a threat from a hostile state.

"There must be radical reform. Never again can a disease be allowed to lead to so many deaths and so much suffering," she said in her introduction to the report.

Her inquiry's first module has only examined Britain's preparedness, and later reports will provide assessments of the more politically charged issues of decision-making during the pandemic against a backdrop of widespread accusations of government incompetence.

Johnson himself was forced from office in July 2022, with revelations of parties during Covid lockdowns among the many scandals that ended his premiership.

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor during the pandemic who later became prime minister, was also fined for breaking lockdown rules at the time.

New prime minister Keir Starmer, whose Labour party this month replaced the Tories in power after 14 years, said the report confirmed what many people had believed.

"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," he said.

The campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK welcomed Hallett's recommendations but said she had not gone far enough in addressing the issue of health inequalities that had made the UK more vulnerable.

"Preparedness is our best defence, failure to prepare is indefensible," a spokesperson said.

(Reuters)

More For You

Starmer scraps NHS England to cut costs and improve care

Keir Starmer speaks with medical staff during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in Epsom, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Starmer scraps NHS England to cut costs and improve care


HUNDREDS of millions of pounds could be saved and patient waiting lists reduced as prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, the body overseeing the state-funded health system.

In a speech delivered in Hull, Starmer explained his decision to streamline the National Health Service's management structure: "I can't, in all honesty, explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy."

Keep ReadingShow less
Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

The lunar eclipse of Friday may not have been as dramatic as the total eclipses seen in other parts of the world

iStock

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

In the early hours of Friday morning, stargazers across the UK were treated to a partial lunar eclipse, with many enthusiasts rising before dawn to catch a glimpse. The celestial event, which saw the Earth's shadow partially covering the Moon, began at 05:09 GMT. Although only partial for most UK observers, it still presented a spectacular sight, with western parts of the country and regions further afield, such as the Americas and some Pacific islands, witnessing the eclipse.

For some, like Kathleen Maitland, the experience was magical. Stargazing from Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, she described the beauty of watching the Moon gradually darken and transform into a reddish hue, with the sunrise unfolding behind her. The eclipse gave rise to the so-called "blood Moon," a phenomenon that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, turning a dusky red as sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

From L- Reetu Kabra, Maya Sondhi, Shobu Kapoor and Meera Syal during Sangam Foundation's Women's Day celebrations.

Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

HUNDREDS of women gathered for the International Women's Day celebrations of Sangam Foundation last week. Prominent actresses Meera Syal, Shobhu Kapoor and Maya Sondhi have attended the event, a statement said.

The British Asian celebrities shared their experiences of breaking into an industry rife with misogyny and prejudice. The industry veterans also talked about challenges they faced in a male-dominated field.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal
Democrats with £23,000

Sudhir Choudhrie

Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal Democrats with £23,000

BUSINESSMAN Sudhir Choudhrie has emerged as one of the biggest British Asian donors to the Liberal Democrats in the last quarter of 2024, according to the latest data from the Electoral Commission.

Choudhrie, currently an advisor on India to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, contributed on six different occasions to the party between October and December 2024, totalling more than £23,000. He contributed in a similar fashion in the previous quarter as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunak is ‘content in his MP role
and has no desire to move to US’

(From left) Rishi Sunak with wife Akshata Murty, and parents Usha and Yashvir Sunak

Sunak is ‘content in his MP role and has no desire to move to US’

RISHI SUNAK “loves being an MP” and has no intention of flying to California to begin a new life in America, as his enemies alleged during the general election campaign last year.

And, unlike Boris Johnson, he is not striving to be prime minister again, even though he is still only 44.

Keep ReadingShow less