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Tory-linked PR firm is no longer working on Covid inquiry, lawyer confirms

Involvement of 23Red seems to have discouraged bereaved families from engaging with inquiry’s ‘listening exercise’

By Ruby Lott-Lavigna
Tory-linked PR firm is no longer working on Covid inquiry, lawyer confirms
The National Covid Memorial Wall in London | Leon Neal / Getty Images
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The UK’s official Covid-19 inquiry is “no longer working with” PR firm 23Red after openDemocracy revealed its links to the government amid fears of a conflict of interest.

Speaking on Tuesday at a preliminary hearing, lead counsel Hugo Keith KC announced that 23Red would have no further involvement with the ‘Every Story Matters’ evidence-gathering exercise.

openDemocracy revealed in February that both 23Red and M&C Saatchi – which subcontracted 23Red – have ongoing links to the government. 23Red is currently contracted to do £2m worth of work for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), and has provided past work for other government departments.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0