Bereaved families demand ‘core’ role in UK Covid inquiry as ‘investigative’ phase begins

Families who lost loved ones during the pandemic have demanded to play a central role in the UK’s Covid-19 inquiry, which launches its investigative phase tomorrow.

The inquiry has already consulted with different groups, businesses, academics and officials from a variety of sectors involved in the pandemic response to review which areas warrant scrutiny and how to structure proceedings.

This includes Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, a campaign group of over 6,000 people who have lost a loved one to coronavirus.

The group has repeatedly sought assurances from the inquiry it will be granted a ‘core participant’ status once applications open. This which would allow families to give evidence, ask questions during proceedings, access all disclosed documents, and recommend people to be interviewed.

However, Elkan Abrahamson, a lawyer who is representing the group in the inquiry, said it was unclear how the inquiry would select core participants and expressed concern that the bereaved families won’t play a central role.

“The feeling from the bereaved at the consultation stage was that the chair was sympathetic. They were happy with how that went,” Mr Abrahamson said.

“[But] given we represent the largest group of bereaved in the UK, we’re not experiencing a sense of co-operation that we would normally expect to have reached by this stage. Their lawyers are happy to meet with us, but the questions we ask them aren’t being properly answered.”

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Source: The Independent, 20 July 2022