Dealing with future threats is the point

THE problem with accusing the UK Covid-19 Inquiry of being a colossal waste of money is that we don’t know whether its findings will actually be of any use to us in the future.

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The figures don’t make for good reading, to be fair. The Taxpayers Alliance said the projected cost was £208 million, which would make it the most expensive inquiry in British legal history. The Daily Telegraph found someone who was willing to go further and brand it as ‘a £200m I told you so!

The second report by Baroness Heather Hallett - of the ten which are expected to be released into the handling of the pandemic - came out last week, and seemed mainly to focus on the failings of ministers to have dealt with the situation with due diligence.

Boris Johnson ‘oscillated’ in his decision-making, and went on holiday during a key period; Dominic Cummings created a ‘toxic’ working environment; Matt Hancock failed to grasp the severity of the situation; Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon failed to listen more than she spoke. Apologies for an overly simplistic explanation of the latest report, but the reporting of the report is only as good as the reporters involved, if you see my meaning.