What prompted the establishment of the inquiry?
The UK government’s response to the pandemic has faced significant criticism, particularly due to the lack of a comprehensive plan to address such a major event.
The government has also been criticized for the discharge of elderly individuals from hospitals to care homes without testing, the delayed implementation of lockdown measures in March 2020, and the shortcomings of the multi-billion NHS test and trace system.
Families who lost loved ones to Covid have called for an independent inquiry to uncover what truly transpired.
In May 2021, the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged the importance of learning from the experience and announced the forthcoming inquiry.
Will Boris Johnson be questioned? If so, when?
It remains uncertain whether former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face questioning and a definitive list of witnesses has not been released yet.
However, given his leadership role throughout the pandemic, his insights are crucial for understanding various aspects of the nation’s response.
Should he be summoned as a witness, he would be required to provide evidence before the committee.
Who heads the inquiry?
Baroness Heather Hallett is leading the extensive inquiry and is well-versed in overseeing high-profile investigations.
Appointed by Mr Johnson, the 72-year-old former Court of Appeal judge is tasked with chairing the long-awaited public probe into the coronavirus crisis.
Baroness Hallett’s management of the inquiry will undoubtedly face intense scrutiny.
Until her involvement with the Covid inquiry, Baroness Hallett served as the coroner for the inquest of Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old British woman who tragically died in July 2018 after exposure to the nerve agent Novichok.
Additionally, she presided over the inquests into the 52 victims of the July 7, 2005 London bombings, chaired the Iraq Fatalities Investigations, and conducted the 2014 Hallett Review of the administrative scheme for dealing with “on the runs” in Northern Ireland.
Baroness Hallett, a married mother-of-two, was nominated for a life peerage in 2019 as part of Theresa May’s resignation honors.
How long will the inquiry take?
During the announcement of the inquiry’s terms in May 2021, Mr Johnson expressed hope that it could be completed within a “reasonable timescale.”
However, realistically, it may take several years.
The inquiry does not have a formal deadline but plans to conduct hearings across the UK until at least 2025.
Interim reports are scheduled for publication before the conclusion of public hearings, expected by summer 2026.
To provide context, the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war, which commenced in 2009, did not release its final report until 2016.
Similarly, the Bloody Sunday inquiry spanned approximately a decade.
If the Covid inquiry follows a similar timeline, it may dilute criticism of any potential failings by the Tory Government.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
