Cameron-Osborne austerity years cost UK dearly when Covid struck, says TUC

David Cameron and George Osborne, pictured in 2010, are likely to push back against the claims when they are called for cross-examination by the inquiry. Photograph: Ray Tang/Shutterstock

Years of austerity overseen by David Cameron and George Osborne left Britain “hugely unprepared” for Covid, with consequences that were “painful and tragic”, union leaders have claimed.

In an attempt to frame the opening hearing of the UK Covid inquiry next week as a trial of public sector cuts, the Trades Union Congress will argue in a report that the policies of the former prime minister and his chancellor led to “unsafe staffing in public services, a broken safety net and decimated workplace safety enforcement”.