Evening summary
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK says it “is devastating to think of the lives that could have been saved under a different prime minister”.
In a written parliamentary statement, Keir Starmer has addressed the failings identified in today’s report of the previous government. (See 17.45)
While perhaps the most stinging criticism is directed at Johnson and his team, notably his then adviser Dominic Cummings, the report also targets the three devolved governments and scientific advisers.
Nicola Sturgeon, who is criticised in the report, insisted she tried to work constructively with other leaders across the UK but “it was very difficult with Boris Johnson”. (see 18.29)
Dominic Cummings calls inquiry a “mix of cover ups and rewriting of history” in response to piercing criticism of former aide in report.
Shabana Mahmood says four new criteria will apply to people wanting settlement: no criminal record, A-level-type English, NI contributions and no debt in a statement to MPs today. (see 13.36)
The former Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has joined the Green party, it has announced. Russell-Moyle, who represented Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, was a leftwinger who was banned from standing as a candidate at the 2024 election on the basis that Labour had received a complaint about him.
For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.
Updated
Recap of first UK Covid-19 public inquiry report
It’s worth remembering that the first of several reports from the inquiry was published last year.
The recommendations included:
The leader or deputy leader of each of the four nations should chair a cabinet-level committee responsible for civil emergency preparedness.
A UK-wide pandemic response exercise to run at least every three years and a new whole-system civil emergency strategy be put in place.
External “red teams” should regularly challenge groupthink on the principles, evidence and advice on emergency plans.
A radical simplification of civil emergency preparedness and resilience systems, (the current system’s flow chart looked like “a bowl of spaghetti”).
While the key flaws described in the report were:
The UK being prepared for the wrong pandemic, focusing on influenza.
The institutions responsible for emergency planning being “labyrinthine in their complexity”.
The government’s sole pandemic strategy (for flu, dating from 2011) being outdated and lacking adaptability.
Failure to appreciate the impact of the pandemic, and the response to it, on minority ethnic communities, and people in poor health and with other vulnerabilities.
Failure to learn from earlier civil emergency exercises and disease outbreaks.
A “damaging absence of focus” on systems such as test, trace and isolate that could be scaled up.
