The U.K. Government has committed to holding a public inquiry into the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is still unclear when such an inquiry will begin and what form it will take. Boris Johnson has stated it will be an independent inquiry ‘at the appropriate time’ but it ‘will not be held whilst efforts to combat the pandemic continue.’
It is anticipated that there will be separate public inquiries for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as key aspects of handling the pandemic response have been devolved matters. If so, it is also likely that drawing conclusions about the U.K.-level response, and cooperation between governments, will be included within each inquiry’s terms of reference.
