The Guardian’s view on the Covid-19 investigation: The UK has done too little, too late. Lessons to be learned Editorial

AThe four UK governments have been criticized in the latest report from the public inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic for 2020-2022. The Northern Ireland Executive’s response is believed to have been marred by political divisions. In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon did not involve her Cabinet colleagues sufficiently in the decision-making process (although she is also described as serious and hard-working). In Wales, Mark Drakeford’s government reversed some of the mistakes made in London, especially when it delayed imposing new restrictions in the fall of 2020.

But given its responsibilities, size and resources, as well as its record, the UK administration led by Boris Johnson bears the lion’s share of the blame. Some of Heather Hallett’s findings regarding the political management of the crisis are already familiar. Nothing in this report will damage the former Prime Minister’s reputation as much as what is already known about lockdown-breaking social gatherings in 2020 – or the fact that he misled Parliament about them.

The contribution of his advisor, Dominic Cummings, to spreading a “culture of fear” in the civil service is not news to anyone. But the administration’s image is not only “toxic” and out of depth, but that it is disastrously complacent with itself, which is devastating. For the bereaved families who campaigned for this inquiry, the events of February 2020 – when the Prime Minister was halfway through his term and did not receive daily briefings or meet with his cabinet – are inexcusable. The report calls this the “lost month.”

Equally worrying are the findings regarding the Department of Health and Social Care. While Matt Hancock, the Foreign Secretary during the worst period, has left Parliament, its most senior official, Sir Chris Wormald, now heads the civil service. Hancock gained a reputation among senior advisers for his misleading statements (before he was forced to resign after violating social distancing guidelines by kissing an aide). Helen McNamara, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, described what happened as… “Nuclear levels” of trust.

Sir Chris, in his capacity as Permanent Secretary, should have provided a correction. Instead, the inquiry heard evidence that he was still resisting lockdown measures until March 15, 2020. The department will face further scrutiny when the impact of the pandemic on care homes, where there have been 45,632 Covid deaths, is analyzed in a later report.

For families and anyone else concerned about the Johnson government’s record, this report is a milestone in their efforts to get to the truth. They want those responsible to be held accountable, and believe Johnson should lose the privileges and bonuses afforded to him as a former prime minister. But while the Johnson government’s Brexit-focused priorities and his own flawed character have clearly hampered the response to Covid-19, it would be foolish to assume that the problems exposed by the pandemic have since been resolved.

The investigation is ongoing and is not immune to criticism itself. Paul Johnson, former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, was among those who did He questioned its length, cost and specialization. But the UK’s fundamental unpreparedness for the pandemic, despite repeated warnings, as well as a deficit in scientific understanding in government – ​​which expert advice has been unable to compensate for – must be confronted. Emergency planning is a primary responsibility of government. It is not enough to precisely identify the mistakes committed by previous office holders. It is essential to use this information so that their successors can perform better when the next major crisis strikes.

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