David Cameron admits series of failures in his government’s pandemic preparations

David Cameron insisted the UK had done a lot more than other countries when it came to planning. Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Shutterstock

David Cameron has admitted failures in his government’s preparations for a pandemic but defended the austerity drive that he and his chancellor, George Osborne, imposed, saying “your health system is only as strong as your economy”.

The former prime minister repeatedly told the Covid inquiry it was a mistake that “more time and more questions” were not focused on tackling what turned out to be a “highly infectious, asymptomatic” pandemic.