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Failures to properly plan for a pandemic in the UK are expected to be laid bare today as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry publishes its first report, with Brexit set to at least partly be blamed.
The inquiry reviewed how prepared the country was to face a deadly outbreak before 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic swept around the world.
Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett could comment on preparations surrounding personal protective equipment (PPE) and a government focused on Brexit.
Former prime minister Lord Cameron admitted during the hearings that it was a “mistake” for his government to focus too heavily on preparing for a flu instead of a coronavirus pandemic. However, he defended cuts to public services under his leadership.
Matt Hancock, who was health secretary under Boris Johnson during the pandemic, said it was a “colossal” failure to assume the spread of the virus could not be stopped.
His predecessor in the job, Jeremy Hunt, admitted to being part of “groupthink”, leading to a “narrowness of thinking”.
Lady Hallett is also expected to make recommendations about how the UK can better prepare itself for a future outbreak.
