MPS call for interim report from Covid inquiry before election day

THE Covid-19 Inquiry must publish an interim report before the next general election, MPS have demanded, amid speculation that the wide-ranging investigation could last until 2026.

Boris Johnson formally launched the inquiry by agreeing its terms of reference with chairman Baroness Hallett, meaning families of the deceased now know what will fall within its scope.

Campaigners welcomed the fact that the inquiry, expected to start in public next spring, has been widened to examine the effect of lockdowns on children and their education.

However, there is no guarantee that Lady Hallett will publish any interim findings before the next general election, which must take place by January 2025, only that it will produce interim reports “in a timely manner”. Layla Moran, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus, said “public trust” in the inquiry would be damaged if there was nothing before the next general election to show that “lessons are learnt and those responsible [for mistakes] are held to account”.

‘Finally we can begin the process of learning lessons from the awful suffering we’ve endured’

Lady Hallett has indicated in the past that she will publish updates throughout the lifetime of the inquiry, but the official start date of the inquiry, which was set at June 28 2022, was not accompanied by any firm timeframe for updates. A spokesman for the inquiry said that Lady Hallett had promised the bereaved families that there would be interim reports but “we won’t be influenced by when a general election is”.

The Telegraph disclosed that documents relating to the appointment of a law firm to help with the inquiry suggest its final report is not expected until at least the end of 2025. The inquiry even has the option to extend the law firm’s contract until October 2026.

Hannah Brady, spokesman for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, said: “Finally we can begin the process of learning lessons from the awful suffering we’ve endured.

“However, it is pitiful that after inexplicable delays, the Government has decided to acted just two days after we announced that we were considering a judicial review over their time-wasting.

“It goes to show that they were simply delaying the process for as long as they could get away with.”