Baroness Hallet has released her interim report

Into the UK covid pandemic and the then governments response.

To say it's findings are damning...is an understatement.

Poor preparedness.
Poor response structure.
Poor exercises pre-pandemic.

Never again can a disease be allowed to lead to so many deaths and so much suffering

Institutions and structures responsible for emergency planning were labyrinthine in their complexity

Fatal strategic flaws underpinning the assessment of risks and their consequences

It goes on and on for several hundred pages

The inquiry has no hesitation in concluding that the processes; planning and policy of the civil contingency structures within the UK government and devolved administrations and civil services failed their citizens

https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/reports

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SomeMichGuy · M

This happened in many places, other than Taiwan & New Zealand

SW-User

Did it need a public enquiry to tell us that!

We simply were not expecting it. Why should we. We did not know what China was up to. And perhaps we never will.

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ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Picklebobble2

that puts the heads of those departments or quango bodies, potentially liable to criminal charge.

I'd love to see the politicians in charge in the dock but I can't see it happening. Johnson and Sunak and their cronies should definitely be charged with something but what exactly?

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@ninalanyon given my answer above, you can now put into context the timing of the election and how upset so many sitting MP'S were at the lack of time to prepare...etc.

They were worried for themselves and their seats when perhaps Sunak; Starmer and particularly Ed Davey (see his grilling in front of the investigation committee yesterday ?...he didn't come out of it well) were considering the potential fallout once the inquiry chair reports it's full findings.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Picklebobble2 But given the structure of government in the UK and the quite staggering amount of political interference in what should be technical decisions is there really any likelihood that the response to any similar future national emergency could be different?

That is, were the problems the fault of the Conservative party and its leadership or are they simply a result of the way the country is governed.

For instance, why were politicians involved at all in the purchase of protective clothing?

Longpatrol · 31-35, M

As they say an utter shambles

SW-User

It is so easy to look back in hindsight.

Let us hope our strategy is right in dealing with Putin. If we get it wrong, a public enquiry will not help, he will have control of the Baltic, and NATO will be as good as dead.

nacnud · 36-40, M

I'm glad this is happening. It is important that serious lessons are learnt as covid wont be the last of its kind and we need to be prepared.

Gumba1000 · M

I need glasses. The first time I thought this said "boneless harlet"

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