Boris Johnson always claims it is not the right time to learn lessons. But it has become intolerable to put off an official probe any longer
Of all the many reasons why Boris Johnson must establish an inquiry into the UK’s coronavirus pandemic, one towers above all others in moral importance. Deaths from Covid-19 have been far higher in the UK than in any other European country. More than 126,000 of our people have died, and the figure will rise. The UK figure is the fifth highest in the world; the four countries with higher totals – the US, Brazil, Mexico and India – all have much larger populations. The pandemic has now killed many more British civilians than the second world war did. Any nation would be entitled to know why and learn the lessons of such loss. Britain is entitled to those answers too.
The terms of reference of the inquiry must be wide. No important questions should be off-limits. No department, agency or supplier should be excused accountability. No individual should be above scrutiny. The inquiry must cover the whole United Kingdom and must take into account international experience too. It must be independent. A judge should either lead it or play a very senior role. This process will take time. But the exercise should be given a firm deadline. Ideally, it should start now, and complete work by mid-2023. For the sake of the pandemic’s victims and those who have lost loved ones in such harrowing times, the inquiry must not be allowed to drag on as others have done. The learning of lessons cannot be put off indefinitely.
