Bereaved families have criticized Nigel Farage for his call to shut down the Covid Inquiry.
The leader of the Reform party expressed discontent over the escalating costs of the inquiry, which have surpassed £192 million over three years. The investigation, established in 2022, is set to release its final findings by 2027.
In the UK, approximately 227,000 individuals have died with Covid-19 mentioned on their death certificates. Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty warned of the inevitability of another global pandemic.
After the release of expenditure figures, Farage stated to the Telegraph that the inquiry’s cost was unjustifiable and should be swiftly concluded. In response, a spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK condemned Farage’s remarks as a disrespectful affront to the deceased and their grieving families.
The spokesperson emphasized that many deaths could have been prevented, attributing them to factors such as PPE shortages, discharge of Covid-positive patients into care homes, and delayed lockdown measures. They criticized Farage for attempting to silence the bereaved and obstruct justice.
The spokesperson highlighted that the inquiry’s cost amounts to only 0.01% of the government’s annual spending, emphasizing the importance of holding those accountable for the deaths and learning from the crisis to prevent future tragedies.
They pointed out the motives behind Farage and other establishment figures questioning the inquiry, stating that public inquiries serve as a means for ordinary individuals to hold powerful figures accountable.
A spokesperson for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry clarified that the scope of this inquiry, focusing on a pandemic that affected over 65 million people in the UK, necessitates a thorough and time-consuming examination of the country’s response to the crisis.
Baroness Hallett, chair of the inquiry, outlined the extensive task of scrutinizing the pandemic response across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The spokesperson affirmed the commitment to conducting a comprehensive investigation, with reports already published and further ones scheduled for release in the coming years. Baroness Hallett aims to present the final report in the first half of 2027.