What to expect from the Covid inquiry
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 9 June 2023
⏱️ 32 minutes
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Summary
It’s already been the subject of controversy – causing a row over access to Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages – and it hasn’t even begun. On Tuesday the main hearings for one of the biggest public inquiries in British history will finally kick off. We examine the key questions being asked at the Covid inquiry that could keep the government awake at night.
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Guests:
- James Beal, Social Affairs Editor, The Times.
- George Arbuthnott, Deputy Insight Editor, The Sunday Times, and co-author of Failures of State: The Inside Story of Britain’s Battle with Coronavirus.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Clips: BBC News, ITV News, LBC, Sky News.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is it. On Tuesday, the main hearings for one of the biggest public inquiries in British |
| 0:11.8 | history will finally kick off. My principal aim is to produce reports and recommendations |
| 0:20.2 | before another disaster strikes the four nations of the United Kingdom. |
| 0:29.8 | What did the government do right and wrong during the pandemic and what lessons should |
| 0:35.1 | it learn for the next one? After hundreds of thousands of deaths, there's still so much |
| 0:41.6 | we don't know. Here are just a few of the 150 questions that have already been sent to |
| 0:54.4 | one witness, Boris Johnson, to answer under oath. Did you receive advice that Matt |
| 1:01.4 | Hancock should be removed from his position? Did the cabinet secretary advise you to inform |
| 1:06.3 | the public to hold chicken parks parties? To what extent did you believe that coronavirus |
| 1:12.1 | was akin to influencer? Please confirm whether in March 2020 you suggested that you be injected |
| 1:18.6 | with Covid-19 on television to demonstrate to the public that it did not pose a threat. |
| 1:32.4 | Why did you not attend any Covid meetings in relation to Covid-19 on the 24th of January? |
| 1:37.8 | 29th of January, 12th of February. 18th of February. Did you state that you would rather let |
| 1:43.5 | the bodies pile high than order another lockdown? If so, please set out the circumstances in |
| 1:48.9 | which you made these comments. |
| 1:57.1 | You're listening to stories of our times from the times and the Sunday times. I'm Manvin |
| 2:02.3 | Rana. Today, what to expect from the Covid inquiry and the questions keeping the government |
| 2:10.8 | awake at night? |
| 2:22.8 | Later in today's episode, we'll hear from the Sunday Times Investigations team that |
| 2:28.0 | exposed some of the biggest government failings during Covid. But first, how will the inquiry |
| 2:34.6 | itself actually work? Meet one of the team of journalists who'll be covering it for the times. |
| 2:41.5 | My name's James Beale and I'm the Social Affairs Editor at the Times. |
... |
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