Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has sought external legal advice on disclosures to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

The Covid-19 Inquiry will play a key role in learning lessons from the pandemic. The final Terms of Reference for the Inquiry were published in June. The Prime Minister accepted all of Baroness Hallett’s recommendations.

The Government does not comment on legal advice it may have received. We will meet our obligations to the Inquiry in full.

The Government is committed to working with the Inquiry to ensure that Baroness Hallett is able to conduct a thorough investigation into the preparations for and the response to the pandemic.