Inquiry finds Britain was ill-prepared for COVID-19 pandemic and failed its citizens

An inquiry into the U.K. government's response to COVID-19 found it was ill-prepared for a pandemic and serious errors in planning failed its citizens. Retired judge Heather Hallett has led the inquiry. She said Thursday that the government mistakenly believed in 2019 that it was one of the best-prepared countries in the world for a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has been blamed for more than 235,000 deaths in the U.K. through the end of 2023. Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed Hallett's findings in saying that under-preparedness had failed U.K. citizens. The report is the first in the three-phase inquiry concluding in 2026.