The Utility of Inquiries and the Challenges of Conducting a COVID Inquiry

The COVID inquiry is now into its second round of public hearings – examining how key decisions were made in Westminster as the coronavirus began to take hold around the world in early 2020.

The evidence from those at the heart of Downing Street has certainly provided plenty of bombshell headlines but does the inquiry need to move quicker to make recommendations on how the country could be better prepared for the next pandemic?

There is no specific timescale for how long the inquiry could last and it could be years before its final report is published.

On this episode of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to our health correspondent Ashish Joshi about the lessons we've learned so far.

Plus, what does it take to lead a public inquiry? Hugh Pennington, an emeritus professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University, chaired a public inquiry about an E. coli outbreak in South Wales. He tells Niall what he makes of the COVID inquiry.


Producer: Alex Edden
Promotion producer: David Chipakupaku
Editor: Wendy Parker