Government racks up £100m invoice responding to Covid inquiry | EUROtoday

The public inquiry into the Covid pandemic has price the federal government greater than £100m to reply to up to now, the BBC has learnt. This is on high of the £192m spent by the inquiry itself – that means the fee to the taxpayer is over 50% greater than beforehand thought.

The authorities spending covers authorized recommendation and staffing prices – ultimately rely a workforce of 248 have been working throughout key departments to provide proof for the inquiry.

Inquiry sources questioned the strategy, saying the federal government has at instances been “hostile and difficult”, blocking the discharge of knowledge and delivering paperwork late.

But the Cabinet Office stated it was dedicated to the inquiry and studying the teachings for the long run.

However, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has branded it a waste of cash and the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK stated whereas the work being finished was important, public inquiries typically wanted to change into extra environment friendly and fewer adversarial.

The scale and value of the Covid Inquiry have already been questioned by some.

It acquired underneath means in 2022 and its ultimate report just isn’t anticipated till 2027. It has already price £192m – a determine which is predicted to rise previous £200m by the point it’s completed, making it one of the crucial costly public inquiries in historical past.

In complete there are 10 separate investigations – or modules as they’re known as. So far solely two, pandemic preparedness and authorities decision-making, have been accomplished.

But evaluation of Cabinet Office paperwork by the BBC has discovered authorities departments spent round £101m from April 2023 to June 2025.

The bulk of that is thought to have been accrued by 5 key departments – the Cabinet Office, Home Office, Department of Health and Social Care, Treasury and UK Health Security Agency, which have been repeatedly requested to offer proof.

The costing estimates don’t embody time officers spend getting ready and showing as witnesses in individual.

More than half the £101m spend has been on authorized charges – together with bringing in exterior attorneys.

An inquiry supply stated that to some extent the spending mirrored the defensive angle of the federal government in direction of the inquiry.

Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett and the inquiry authorized workforce have criticised authorities departments for delays offering paperwork and blocking the discharge of key data.

This most famously got here to a head in 2023, when the inquiry and authorities ended up within the High Court over the federal government’s refusal to launch Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages, diaries and notebooks. The authorities misplaced the case.

Sources stated the federal government had arrange a “huge operation” which had at instances appeared “hostile and difficult” to the inquiry.

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman stated: “The government is fully committed to supporting the work of the inquiry and to learning lessons from the pandemic to ensure the UK is better prepared for a future pandemic.”

The Cabinet Office argues the court docket case was introduced to realize readability on some extent of precept – the appropriate of an inquiry to request data that the supplier considers irrelevant.

John O’Connell, chief government of the TaxPayers’ Alliance assume tank, stated: “It’s an absolute disgrace that ministers have burnt through an extra £100m on top of what the inquiry itself has already spent.

“These new figures present the overall price to taxpayers shall be far increased than beforehand feared.

“Ministers must urgently get a grip on the spiralling costs of the Covid Inquiry and commit to delivering answers swiftly and efficiently.”

A spokesman for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK stated the work of the inquiry was “vital” and any prices could be recouped many instances over sooner or later if classes have been discovered by lowering the financial impression of the subsequent pandemic in addition to saving lives.

But he added: “The inquiry process is far from perfect.”

He stated the group supported the Hillsborough Law, which is working its means by way of parliament and strengthens the authorized obligation on public authorities to help public inquiries.

He stated public inquiries just like the Covid one wanted to change into extra environment friendly and fewer adversarial.

“Only then can we bring down the cost of future inquiries while protecting access to justice.”

A spokesman for the Covid inquiry stated: “The inquiry is unlike any previous public inquiry. It was given a very broad scope because it is investigating multiple aspects of a pandemic that affected everyone in society.”

He stated the chair had made clear in the beginning that it might take time and have vital price, but it surely was working sooner than some other public inquiry of comparable measurement, mentioning all of the hearings could be completed by spring 2026.

He stated it might end in suggestions which might be meant to raised shield the UK when the subsequent pandemic strikes, however wouldn’t touch upon the character of the connection with the federal government.