The Chair for the upcoming Covid Inquiry has today been announced as Baroness Heather Hallett, a retired English judge of the Court of Appeal and the coroner who led the inquest into the 7/7 bombings that claimed 52 lives.

The decision comes following Boris Johnson’s announcement to select a Chair of the Inquiry this side of Christmas when the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group and Elkan Abrahamson met with him in September.

This decision is a huge step forward towards delivering the answers to key questions that have been left unanswered for too long now. The bereaved families and loved ones of those lost to Covid-19 deserve answers and reassurance that mistakes made during the handling of this pandemic will not be repeated in the future.

The Prime Minister’s appointment of Baroness Heather Hallett is, while welcome news, much too late. Jo Goodman, spokesperson of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said:

We’ve been calling for an inquiry for since the end of the first wave, and we will never know how many lives could have been saved had the Government had a rapid review phase in Summer 2020. With the Omicron variant upon us, the inquiry really cannot come soon enough.

Speaking of the importance of being granted core participant status, Jo continued:

Everyone agrees that the focus of the inquiry must be on saving lives in the future, and that means that those who have been most affected, including bereaved families, must be at its heart. We ask to be fully consulted on the Terms of Reference, and given core participant status, so that our stories and loss are learned from to protect the lives of others.

Elkan Abrahamson, Director & Head of Major Inquests & Inquiries at Broudie Jackson Canter, and the solicitor representing the group in the Inquiry, said:

I am pleased to see that a Chair has been appointed although it is disappointing that we still don’t have a setting up date for the Inquiry. We look forward to cooperating with the Inquiry so as to deal with the challenges which an Inquiry of this scale will present

What does a Chair do?

The Chair runs the inquiry, meaning they decide the protocols and procedural rules, and have ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the inquiry, the publication of the final report and recommendations. It will ultimately be Baroness Heather Hallett’s responsibility to run the Covid Inquiry and decide the scope. Baroness Hallett also has the right to bring in a panel of experts to assist throughout the course of the Inquiry.

What happens next?

We will continue to campaign for the immediate start of the Inquiry. As the Omicron variant begins to spread, the start of this Inquiry cannot be delayed any longer.

Lessons must be learnt; lives must be saved.

We’d strongly advise anyone who has suffered a bereavement due to Covid-19 to join the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, as we know that pressure of numbers will be a significant factor in causing the Government to bring the Inquiry forward. Visit our Covid Inquiry FAQ page for answers to some of our commonly asked questions surrounding the Inquiry, next steps, how to instruct legal representation and more.