Boris Johnson is facing a possible lawsuit over a delay in the start of a public investigation into Covid-19, which activists fear could lead to the destruction of evidence.
The prime minister has promised in parliament that a statutory investigation into the UK pandemic, which has so far led to 196,977 Covid deaths in the death toll, will begin by spring. But Downing Street has not yet finalized the terms of reference.
The Covid-19 Grieving Families Justice Group said it would seek judicial review of the delay, which it fears could lead to the loss of key documents. The investigation is to investigate everything from the devastating effects of the virus in nursing homes to the implementation of a blockade by the government.
“In most inquiries, the establishment date is given within days or weeks of the president’s appointment, so this delay of more than six months is both unprecedented and completely inexplicable,” said Elkan Abrahamson, head of major investigations at the bar. Broudie office. Jackson Canter, who advised the campaign.
The hearings are expected to be politically disturbing for the government and likely to resume the debate on breaking the Downing Street blockade and to develop policies such as controlling infections in nursing homes that the Supreme Court has already ruled illegal and “irrational.”
Last year, Johnson rejected calls to launch an investigation while the pandemic was still ongoing, and said in May 2021: “I expect the exact time to launch an investigation is … in the spring of next year, the spring of 2022.
In December 2021, he appointed Lady Hallett chairman of the investigation. The Covid-19 mourners believe that the delay in launching the investigation for more than six months since then is a violation of the Inquiry Act, which states that an investigation must be conducted within a “reasonable time” after the appointment of the chairman.
The destruction or falsification of evidence is a crime under the act, but only after the date of the initiation of the investigation. The grieving families are “deeply concerned [the delay] there could be sinister consequences, with the evidence being deliberately destroyed. “
Joe Goodman, co-founder of Covid-19 Grieving Families for Justice, said: “These delays slow down how quickly we can learn from the pandemic and can cost lives, so why waste the prime minister endlessly? He could set up the investigation and start the process with one stroke of a pen.
The controversial point seems to be the scope of the inquiry. Six weeks ago, Hallett called for the pandemic to be expanded to take into account the uneven impact of the pandemic on ethnic minorities, children and mental health. She called on Johnson to accept the changes “quickly” to allow the investigation to begin “without delay.”
Campaigners complained that the initial terms of reference proposed by Downing Street were “strangely silent” about the impact on people’s mental health, and former children’s commissioners said the draft terms would “take into account the burden borne by children under the carpet”. “.
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The inquiry will cover pandemic preparations and responses in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but seeks to avoid duplication with other inquiries in decentralized administrations.
Last week, the Scottish Government described the consultation as “ongoing”.
A government spokesman said: “In accordance with the Inquiry Act, the Prime Minister has consulted with the decentralized administrations and is now finalizing the terms of reference. They will be published soon. “
Decentrated administrations responded to the consultation more than a week ago, according to the Guardian. The survey team declined to comment.
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