Government guilty of ‘needless’ covid deaths
The People’s Covid Inquiry, set up by the Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) campaign group to fill “the deafening silence” from government, last month published its final report. This concludes that “misconduct in public office” led to tens of thousands of avoidable deaths.
Inquiry chair Michael Mansfield QC pointed to “dismal failure in the face of manifestly obvious risks”, and said that: “the nation was hit by a catastrophic pandemic coincident with an unprecedented period of democratic deficiency”. Government behaviour amounted to “gross negligence”.
He added: “From lack of preparation and coherent policy, unconscionable delay, through to preferred and wasteful procurement, to ministers themselves breaking the rules, the misconduct is earth-shattering.”
KONP co-chair Dr Tony O’Sullivan contrasted the pride, but pain, exhaustion and moral injury of NHS, care and other frontline staff with blatant and in-plain-sight “government cronyism and resultant profiteering”.
“Ministers failed to grasp the scale of their own incompetence — as a result there were thousands of needless deaths,” said GMB general union national secretary Rehana Azam commenting on the report’s findings.
“This administration must take responsibility for that.”
Misconduct in public office: why did so many thousands die unnecessarily?, Report of the People’s Covid Inquiry, December 2021.