The UK’s response to Covid-19 was ‘too little, too late’, according to a major inquiry which revealed thousands of lives could have been saved.
The report, published last night (20th November) by the Covid Inquiry, highlighted if authorities had enforced lockdown a week earlier around 23,000 lives could have been spared.
Spanning 750 pages and two volumes, the report said lockdown left ‘lasting scars’, especially for children, and that quicker action could have reduced its length.
February 2020 was described as ‘a lost month’ and the inquiry revealed Boris Johnson did not chair any Cobra emergency meetings and that government activity slowed during the half-term break.
After the first lockdown was implemented on 23rd March 2020, the report noted that the government continued to make mistakes. These include an ‘unwise’ summer reopening, partly pushed by then chancellor Rishi Sunak, the delay of enforcing a second lockdown and false promises of a more relaxed Christmas.
Against this backdrop, the report, which can be accessed in full here, labelled Johnson’s cabinet as ‘toxic and chaotic’.
In similar vein, the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK group said the former Conservative prime minister repeatedly ignored expert advice and ‘put his political reputation ahead of public safety’.
‘While it is vindicating to see Boris Johnson blamed in black and white for the catastrophic mishandling of the pandemic, it is devastating to think of the lives that could have been saved under a different prime minister,’ the group added.
However, Boris Johnson wasn’t the only member of parliament to come under fire in the report. Chris Wormald, the top civil servant at the Department of Health at the time, was heavily criticised for failing to challenge the ‘over-enthusiastic impression’ given by then health secretary Matt Hancock.
Dominic Cummings was also slandered for contributing to a ‘culture of fear’ inside No 10. The report found he ‘strayed far from the proper role of a special advisor’ and ‘materially contributed to the toxic and sexist workplace culture at the heart of the UK government’.
The report concludes: ‘By failing to tackle this chaotic culture – and, at times, actively encouraging it – Mr Johnson reinforced a culture in which the loudest voices prevailed and the views of other colleagues, particularly women, often went ignored.’
Former cabinet minister Michael Gove appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, where he dismissed claims that a toxic culture in Downing Street was responsible for the deaths of thousands.
‘I do certainly think that there were moments when voices were raised, words were sued, attitudes were struck that were far from ideal, but the business of government during a crisis can’t be carried on in the manner of a Jane Austen novel,’ Gove said. ‘It is the case that we were dealing with, as everyone across the world was, an unprecedented crisis with a novel virus that most intelligence agencies now believe was a lab leak rather than a naturally occurring virus and of course under pressure with imperfect information mistakes are made, voices are raised.’
Reacting to the report’s findings, Ed Davey – leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: ”The British people will rightly never forgive the Conservatives for leaving the country rudderless and vulnerable, and for partying while our communities were isolated and grieving.’
Taking to Bluesky, mayor of London Sadiq Khan, described the report’s findings as ‘devastating’.
The Covid Inquiry’s findings are devastating. So many families suffered unimaginable loss, and their experiences must never be forgotten.We must take these findings seriously and ensure we are far better prepared for the future. My thoughts are with all those who suffered.
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@london.gov.uk) 2025-11-21T09:28:04.755Z
‘The Covid Inquiry’s findings are devastating. So many families suffered unimaginable loss, and their experiences must never be forgotten,’ Khan explained. ‘We must take these findings seriously and ensure we are far better prepared for the future. My thoughts are with all those who suffered.’
Keir Starmer has also noted the failings in a written parliamentary statement. He wrote: ‘Since then, improvements have been made to the way the government would respond to a major crisis.’
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