What we’ve learned so far from the Covid inquiry podcast – The Guardian

The public inquiry into the UKs response to the Covid-19 pandemic got under way earlier this year. So far it has heard from politicians such as David Cameron and George Osborne, who oversaw pandemic preparations and laid the conditions for the health service going into the crisis. It has heard from some of the scientists who advised the government and from the health secretary in office when the pandemic broke, Matt Hancock.

But as the Guardians deputy political editor, Peter Walker, tells Michael Safi, some of the most explosive moments have come not from witnesses themselves but from the mountain of material much of it in the form of WhatsApp conversations that they have handed over. In it, we can see the dark humour, petty squabbling and outright chaos that was the daily reality of the government response.

This week, the hearings will resume after a short break with some of the most powerful former advisers in Downing Street called in to give evidence. Today, the former communications director Lee Cain will face questions; tomorrow it is the turn of the former chief strategist Dominic Cummings.

Support The Guardian

The Guardian is editorially independent. And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all. But we increasingly need our readers to fund our work.

Go here to read the rest:

What we've learned so far from the Covid inquiry podcast - The Guardian