As one of the joint authors, I welcome the publication today of the 'Coronavirus: lessons learned to date' Report, issued by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and Health and Social Care Committee, examining the initial UK response to the covid pandemic.
It has been an honour and a privilege to serve on the Science and Technology Committee during the pandemic, and to have heard evidence, in real time, from the scientists whose advice informed our decisions, from the Ministers and civil servants who made and implemented them, and from those on the ground who delivered for our country in the most trying of circumstances.
Our Report acknowledges that our vaccine development and deployment has been truly world class, and should serve as a blueprint for future Governments faced with similar challenges. However, our Report also recognises that, with hindsight, we were not as well-prepared for a pandemic as we thought we were, and that, particularly in the early stages, mistakes were made, partly due to groupthink within those advising Government.
I hope this landmark Report, agreed on a cross-party basis, will serve both as a guide for future Governments faced with anything comparable, and also as a valuable resource for the public inquiry.
I would also like to place on record my thanks to all those who have contributed to the national response to Covid, and especially to those who have played their part in Newcastle-under-Lyme and North Staffordshire. The care and compassion shown by our NHS staff, our care workers and our volunteers has been truly inspirational, and I also pay tribute to all those who have adapted their lives and their workplaces to help keep others safe.
The joint inquiry, which began in October 2020, examined six key areas of the response to covid-19: the country's preparedness for a pandemic; the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions such as border controls, social distancing and lockdowns to control the pandemic; the use of test, trace and isolate strategies; the impact of the pandemic on social care; the impact of the pandemic on specific communities; and the procurement and roll-out of covid-19 vaccines.
The inquiry concluded that some initiatives were examples of global best practice but others represented mistakes. Both must be reflected on to ensure that lessons are applied to better inform future responses to emergencies.
You can read the full report here.
I have talked to the media on this including on Newsnight, GB News, Talk Radio, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Stoke.