US EditionEx-UK PM Johnson oversaw 'chaotic' response to COVID which led to more deaths, inquiry finds
The UK Covid Inquiry found that delays and a chaotic decision-making culture under Boris Johnson's government likely caused 23,000 avoidable deaths in England during early 2020.
- On Thursday, the UK Covid‑19 Inquiry concluded Boris Johnson, former UK prime minister, presided over a toxic, chaotic culture in Number 10 that hampered timely pandemic leadership.
- Baroness Heather Hallett's report found a 'lost month' in early UK response, criticised UK testing capacity for poor virus tracking, and said the 'behavioural fatigue' concept lacked scientific basis.
- Johnson announced a UK‑wide lockdown on March 23, 2020 after weeks of rising cases, and the report noted March 13th, 2020 as a watershed moment; modelling concluded an earlier lockdown could have cut first‑wave deaths in England by about 23,000 or 48%.
- Baroness Heather Hallett issued 19 key recommendations in a report of more than 800 pages as the UK Covid‑19 Inquiry continues after two years and is expected to run until 2027.
- The inquiry warned poor relations between Boris Johnson and devolved first ministers, including Nicola Sturgeon, undermined UK-wide coordination and that later lockdowns were avoidable.
106 Articles
106 Articles
An investigation points to the management of an overly "optimistic" British government and a "toxic and chaotic" culture on Downing Street at the beginning of the pandemic.
By PAN PYLAS LONDON (AP) — A public inquiry published Thursday criticized the United Kingdom’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic as “too little, too late,” stating that the failure to lock down the country earlier “led to an unacceptable loss of life.” The inquiry, chaired by former judge Heather Hallett, found that chaos at the heart of the then-Conservative government and a lack of seriousness toward COVID-19 potentially cost 23,000…
By PAN PYLAS LONDON (AP) — A public inquiry published Thursday criticized the United Kingdom’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic as “too little, too late,” stating that the failure to lock down the country earlier “led to an unacceptable loss of life.” The inquiry, chaired by former judge Heather Hallett, found that chaos at the heart of the then-Conservative government and a lack of seriousness toward COVID-19 potentially cost 23,000…
Failures laid bare as Covid report published
The Covid Inquiry has laid bare repeated serious failures across all the Governments of the UK which led to more deaths and tougher lockdowns. The Chair of the Inquiry said that from the start ministers were far too slow to appreciate the calamity that the UK faced. And she said it was “inexcusable” that many of the same mistakes were repeated during the second wave of the virus. Representatives of people who lost family members during the pande…
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