The UK Covid-19 Inquiry (the Inquiry) public hearings for module 2 began on 3 October 2023 and will conclude on 14 December 2023.

Module 2 is focused on core political and administrative governance and decision-making for the UK. It will examine the initial response, central government decision making, political and civil service performance as well as the effectiveness of relationships with governments in the devolved administrations and local and voluntary sectors. It will also assess decision-making about non-pharmaceutical measures and the factors that contributed to their implementation.

This week the Inquiry heard from witnesses including Lord Mark Sedwill, former cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, Lord Edward Udny-Lister, a senior advisor to then prime minister, Rt Hon Boris Johnson, and Simon Ridley, who was director general of the Covid-19 Taskforce.

The Inquiry heard evidence about the concerns that the NHS was going to be overwhelmed, the discharge of patients into care homes, decisions about lockdowns, and the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) role in drafting regulations.