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11 months ago
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The £145 million Covid Inquiry could face a legal challenge amid claims it has failed to question the use of draconian lockdowns.
A parents' campaign group, Us For Them, says the official investigation is not properly considering the impact that isolation had on children, who were the group least likely to die from the virus but suffered most from lockdowns and school closures.
In a damning legal letter, Us For Them suggests the inquiry has already decided that ordering people to stay at home was 'necessary, proportionate and justified' and so is 'almost exclusively' focusing on whether lockdowns should have been imposed harder and sooner.
The correspondence to former Court of Appeal judge Baroness Hallett, who chairs the inquiry, also raises questions about the 'fairness' of proceedings more generally.
The Mail on Sunday understands the group, which has more than 13,000 followers on Facebook, could issue a legal challenge, via a judicial review, early next year if the inquiry does not change its course.
The correspondence to former Court of Appeal judge Baroness Hallett, who chairs the inquiry, also raises questions about the 'fairness' of proceedings more generally
Pictured: Former health secretary Matt Hancock giving evidence at Dorland House in London, during its second investigation (Module 2) exploring core UK decision-making and political governance
Pictured: Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during a virtual press conference to update the nation on the status of the Covid-19 pandemic, in the Downing Street briefing room in central London on January, 4, 2022
The Covid Inquiry issued a statement this weekend strenuously denying the group's accusations.
But the row will fuel mounting concerns at the inquiry's approach and its eye-watering costs.
Molly Kingsley, founder of Us For Them, said: 'Worse than just a huge waste of money, the inquiry risks setting us up to repeat catastrophic errors. It must either correct course or be abandoned.'
The group claims the inquiry has repeatedly focused on deaths from Covid-19 as the sole measure of whether the Government's response was successful, which 'grossly underweights' the toll on children.
During Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's appearance at the inquiry last week, Hugo Keith KC, the lead counsel, shut him down when he mentioned research suggesting the lockdown may have been more damaging than the virus itself, which Us For Them says gave the impression of wanting 'to avoid any discussion of the possibility that locking down was not justified'.
A spokesman for the inquiry said: 'The inquiry rejects any suggestion it has predetermined its findings. It will be considering important issues such as the impact on children and young people, the care sector and business in due course.'
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