The Covid Inquiry Podcast

The Covid Inquiry takes evidence on how the Treasury responded to the start of the pandemic and the imposition of lockdown. One of the key witnesses giving evidence was Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey. Theo Leggett reports.

The Covid Inquiry hears how - as covid infections spread rapidly across the country - the Government designed a furlough scheme and intervened to support businesses. With evidence from Dr Tim Leunig, described as the economic architect of furlough, and former ministers in the Scottish and Welsh governments. Theo Leggett reports.

The Covid Inquiry begins a new module looking at the impact of the pandemic on the UK economy. In its first week of evidence the Inquiry hears about the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) - more commonly known as furlough - and how it operated. Theo Leggett reports.

Baroness Hallett, Chair of the Inquiry, delivers her second report into the way the four governments of the UK responded to the pandemic. Summarising her conclusions as 'too little, too late', she outlines a failure by each government "to appreciate the scale of the threat or the urgency of the response it demanded". Jim Reed reports.

The Covid Inquiry takes its final week of evidence into how the pandemic affected children and young people. Among those appearing at the Inquiry are former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chief Medical Officer for England Sir Chris Whitty, and former Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford. Vanessa Clarke reports.

The Covid Inquiry takes evidence on how and when decisions were taken to close schools during the pandemic. Gavin Williamson, then England's Education Secretary, describes how his department interacted with Number 10. This episode contains some strong language. Vanessa Clarke reports.

The Covid Inquiry takes a second week of evidence on how children and young people were affected by the pandemic. This week, Alison Morton from the Institute of Health Visiting describes the impact of stopping home visits to new parents, and how staff were redeployed. There is also evidence from Chief Nursing Officer for England Duncan Burton, Scottish First Minister John Swinney, and representatives of schools with high numbers of disadvantaged students. Vanessa Clarke reports.

The Covid Inquiry takes evidence in a new module studying the impact of the pandemic on children. Among those appearing this week was the former Children’s Commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield. Vanessa Clarke reports.

The Covid Inquiry reaches its last week of evidence on the impact of the pandemic on adult social care. Lady Justice Hallett hears from members of the disabled community who reflect on what it was like as visitation rules were tightened and – in some cases - PPE was not available. Families of those who died during the pandemic describe the distressing moments of saying goodbye over a mobile phone. Divya Talwar reports.

In its penultimate week looking at social care, the Covid Inquiry hears from the former health ministers of Northern Ireland and Scotland, examining the decision made in the early part of the pandemic to release hospital patients back into care homes. The Inquiry also hears from former senior civil servant Alasdair Donaldson, who describes “complete chaos” in the Department of Health and Social Care in April 2020. The government has said it is committed to learning lessons from the inquiry. Divya Talwar reports.