The Prime Minister said today there would be a ‘full proper public inquiry’ into the government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis. This is highly significant, because a ‘full, proper public inquiry’ means one led by a judge and with witnesses represented by lawyers.
I am also told – though Downing Street is refusing to comment on this – that the Cabinet will be asked by the Prime Minister to approve the terms of the inquiry on Wednesday morning, and there could be an announcement shortly afterwards.
Such a public inquiry – like Leveson’s into hacking and Chilcot’s into the decision to go to war in Iraq – would take many years and might not report until after the next election.
Cummings believes this slowness to restrict our freedoms led to significant increases in the death toll
During the Queen’s Speech debate, in answer to a question from the Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey on the timing of the start of an inquiry, the PM said:
‘I can certainly say we will do that within this session… I do believe it’s essential that we have a full proper public inquiry into the Covid pandemic’.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in