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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Ben Quinn Political correspondent

Britain remains ‘wildly under-resilient’, Covid inquiry hears

The national Covid memorial wall opposite the Houses of Parliament in London.
The national Covid memorial wall opposite the Houses of Parliament in London. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Britain’s whole system of critical national infrastructure remains “wildly under-resilient”, the Covid-19 inquiry has been told by Oliver Letwin, who was responsible for emergency planning in the coalition government.

It was also an “error” that no government had appointed a senior minister with sole responsibility over planning for pandemics and other areas of resilience, the former minister said. He described the churn of ministers and officials tasked with preparing for emergencies as a “disaster for the country”.

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