Launch a judge-led public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic

There has been much debate about every aspect of the covid 19 pandemic and as such it is entirely right that a comprehensive public enquiry should review all the evidence from the end of 2019 right through to the delivery and effectiveness of the current vaccination program.

No enquiry will be effective if requests for information are ignored. Accordingly, it is right that the enquiry should have wide-ranging judicial powers to order the production of all evidence requested with appropriate sanctions for non-compliance. That must include by definition total access to medical research papers, medical records at treatment centres and full access to supply contracts for testing and the supply of all services surrounding the covid 19 pandemic generally.

On 12 May 2021, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into Covid-19 will be established on a statutory basis and that it will begin its work in Spring 2022. The inquiry will be a thorough and fearless examination of the breadth of our response – to learn the lessons of the pandemic that will make a difference to the future.

The inquiry will be set up under the Inquiries Act 2005, the same statutory basis as other recent inquiries, such as the Manchester Arena attack and the Grenfell Tower fire. An inquiry established in this way has full formal powers, including the ability to compel production of relevant material and to take oral evidence in public under oath. Statutory public inquiries always have an independent chair, who may be a judge or another relevant expert.

The Government will announce the chair of the Covid-19 inquiry in due course.

Cabinet Office