History to date of the UK Covid Inquiry
The campaign for a public inquiry into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic started more than two years ago when a group of bereaved families joined together to form the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group. The group, which began on Facebook, was a place for people who had suffered significant and devastating loss to come together and support one another through some of the most difficult times of their lives. For many of the bereaved, it was clear that more could have, and should have, been done to prevent the deaths of their loved ones.
Now, Module 1 has had its evidential hearings and Module 2 is soon to begin. Here is what has happened over the past two years that brought us to this point…
2023
19th July
Final day of Module 1 hearings of the Covid Inquiry
13th June
First day of the main hearings of the Covid Inquiry
5th June
Provisional scope of Module 4 was published. The Inquiry has stated that this module will consider and make recommendations regarding the development and manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccines, unequal vaccine uptake, and issues relating to the treatment of Covid-19 through medications.
Module 4 Provisional Outline of Scope - UK Covid-19 Inquiry (covid19.public-inquiry.uk)
4th May
Module 1 List of Issues is shared with the public. List of Issues sets out the areas that the Inquiry proposes to explore within the first module of the Inquiry.
Module-1-List-of-Issues-dated-06-April-2023.pdf (covid19.public-inquiry.uk)
23rd February
The UK Covid Inquiry and the Scottish Covid Inquiry publish an agreement setting out how they will work together. They announced the Inquiries will share information on aspects such as Terms of Reference and the scope topics in an attempt to limit duplication.
2022
8th November
The Inquiry opens it’s third investigation which will consider the impact of the pandemic on healthcare in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The Chair has said that this third module will examine how the healthcare systems responded, the impact on systems and services, including on patients, doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff.
31st August
On 31st August, the Chair announced the launch of Module 2 of the Inquiry, which endeavours to look at “the UK’s core political and administrative decision-making in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic between early January 2020 until February 2022, when the remaining Covid restrictions were lifted”. Baroness Hallett also announced that Module 2 will have sub-modules that will investigate the Government’s decision-making processes for the devolved nations.
29th July
Shortly thereafter, the Chair released the Protocol for the Transfer and Handling of Documents for the Covid Inquiry, which outlined expectations for the gathering and submission of important documents, as well as how they should be handled and stored by the Inquiry.
21st July
The Chair of the Inquiry, Baroness Hallett, kicks off Module 1 of the Covid Inquiry with an opening statement. The statement, which is livestreamed via an online webinar, outlined how the Chair and her team plan to run the Inquiry, promising a ‘swift, but thorough’ approach. She also outlined the modular approach to the Inquiry, announcing that the Inquiry will be split into modules, each looking at a different area of the pandemic. Module 1: Preparedness and resilience launched that same day, and applications for Core Participant status for Module 1 opened.
28th June
In a statement published on gov.uk, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson officially launches the Covid Inquiry. With the announcement, Johnson also accepts the Chair’s suggested changes to the Terms of Reference in full, save for a few clarifications put forward by the devolved nations and agreed upon by the Chair. We now expect the evidence hearing process to begin in spring 2023.
27th June
More than a year since Boris Johnson pledges to launch an inquiry, and more than six months after he appoints Baroness Hallett as the Covid Inquiry Chair, bereaved families still wait for the official setting up date of the Inquiry. The bereaved families group and their legal representation threaten the Government with legal action in the form of a judicial review. The following day, the Inquiry is launched.
March
Boris Johnson signs the draft Terms of Reference. Baroness Hallett starts a consultation process that sees her travel the country to meet with bereaved families face to face to hear about their experiences directly from them. Concurrently, Baroness Hallett also launches a public consultation process via the Inquiry website where members of the public can submit their thoughts on the draft ToR. Based on the results from this exercise, Baroness Hallett puts forward recommended changes to the Terms of Reference for Government consideration.
10th January
Broudie Jackson Canter submits a proposed draft of the Covid Inquiry Terms of Reference for Government consideration. The proposed Terms of Reference were drafted to consider the needs of the bereaved families with the goal of influencing the final ToR, to be agreed by Boris Johnson, who was at the time, the Minister of the Inquiry.
2021
15th December
Boris Johnson appoints 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, as the Chair of the Covid Inquiry. We continue to work with the bereaved families as we campaign for the immediate start of the inquiry.
28th September
Elkan Abrahamson accompanies members of the bereaved families group as they meet with Boris Johnson. The bereaved families have been eagerly waiting for Johnson to announce a date for the inquiry since he first confirmed there would be one in May 2021. At this meeting, Johnson promises he will appoint a Chair for the inquiry by Christmas.
12th May
Addressing MPs in the House of Commons, Boris Johnson makes an informal announcement that an independent public inquiry will be held, no sooner than spring 2022. Johnson announces “the Government is fully committed to learning the lessons at every stage of the pandemic” and that the inquiry will “place the state’s actions under the microscope.” Kier Starmer, leader of the Labour party, challenges Johnson’s timeline, asking why we can’t have an inquiry start in 2021. Johnson claims it would be a distraction from current efforts to handle the pandemic.
2020
4th August
On the 4th August 2020, the bereaved families group and Elkan Abrahamson threaten legal action against the Government after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Health Secretary Matt Hancock refuse to meet with bereaved families to hear their stories. At this point the death toll has reached 65,000, and the bereaved families group are eager to meet with the Government to ask them to launch an inquiry as soon as possible to learn valuable lessons ahead of the predicted winter spike in Covid-19 deaths. Their requests are rejected.
17th June
On 17th June 2020, Elkan Abrahamson, Director & Head of Major Inquests & Inquiries at Broudie Jackson Canter, and the lead solicitor representing the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group in the Covid Inquiry, drafted an open letter to the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for an immediate public inquiry into the handling of the covid pandemic.
May
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group approach Elkan Abrahamson to ask if he will help them campaign for a statutory public inquiry. Elkan agrees to work pro bono on behalf of the group to help them campaign the Government to setup and launch a public inquiry.
30th April
On 30th April 2020, the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK Facebook group is formed.
We now wait for the Module 1 preliminary hearing and subsequent announcement of Core Participant status before the public hearing start in spring 2023.
If you’ve lost a loved one to Covid, it isn’t too late to instruct legal representation and be part of this Inquiry, without any cost to you. Join the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group to be part of this Inquiry.
Visit our Covid Inquiry FAQ page for answers to some of our commonly asked questions surrounding the Inquiry, next steps, how to instruct free legal representation and more.