UK Covid inquiry set to open after nation suffered one of the worst death tolls in Europe

An inquiry into the UK government's handling of the Covid pandemic will open later on Tuesday (June 13). According to a report by the news agency AFP, the inquiry chair, retired senior judge Heather Hallett, called for former prime minister Boris Johnson's unredacted WhatsApp messages and notebooks to be handed over, prompting a legal challenge from the government of Rishi Sunak.

The UK suffered one of worst Covid death tolls across Europe. The first phase of Tuesday's inquiry would focus on the country's resilience and preparedness in the face of the global health emergency.

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The inquiry, which was established by Johnson in 2021, will be split up into six sections and begin with an opening statement from Heather Hallett. It will then be followed by a short film showing the impact of the pandemic.

Relatives of victims lash out

The report said that the relatives of Covid victims condemned the decision not to include any of them in the inquiry's first six-week phase. The Covid Bereaved Families for Justice group had put forward 20 people to be considered as witnesses for the first module but said none were called to give evidence.

Group member Barbara Herbert, who lost her husband to the virus, said, "Without learning from the experiences of our members, how can the inquiry properly evaluate the decisions made by those in charge?"

Saleyha Ahsan, a doctor whose father also succumbed to Covid, said "We are people that will be able to put reality to the theory that Hallett is testing, that has got to happen, otherwise it's just a farce."

Citing an inquiry spokesperson, AFP reported the chair had not ruled out calling testimony from bereaved people in later phases of the probe.

The first phase of the inquiry gets underway today, and later phases would focus on how the country's health service coped with Covid, vaccines and therapeutics, government procurement, and the impact on the care sector.

(With inputs from agencies)

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