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Government’s Covid response must be judged on number of deaths, inquiry hears

The second module of the inquiry into Covid-19 will scrutinise the government’s initial response to the pandemic

By Laura Oliver
Government’s Covid response must be judged on number of deaths, inquiry hears
Then-chancellor Rishi Sunak and PM Boris Johnson at a press conference about the Covid-19 outbreak on 17 March 2020. The second module of the Covid inquiry is focusing on the government’s initial response | Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images
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The UK government’s response to the pandemic must be judged on the number of Covid-related deaths, the lead counsel for the UK’s independent inquiry into the pandemic has said.

Hugo Keith said module two of the inquiry, which started today, will consider whether the UK government’s “momentous decisions”, particularly during the period between January 2020 and March 2020, served the public well or failed them.

“How is this to be measured?” asked Keith. “If the protection of life is the preeminent duty which any government owes to the people, then the number of those who died is the marker against which the government’s response must be judged.”

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