Government Spending on Covid Inquiry Reaches £100m

The UK government has spent over £100 million responding to the COVID public inquiry, on top of the £192 million cost of the inquiry itself-making total taxpayer spending far higher than expected.

sarah

Dec 3, 2025 - 11:40

Government Spending on Covid Inquiry Reaches £100m

The public inquiry into the COVID pandemic has cost the government more than £100 million. This is in addition to the £192 million spent on the inquiry itself – meaning taxpayer expenditure is 50% higher than previously thought.

Government spending includes legal advice and staff costs – at last count, a team of 248 people was working across various departments to present evidence for the inquiry.

Inquiry sources questioned the approach, saying the government has at times been "angry and difficult," withholding information, and delaying the delivery of documents.

But the Cabinet Office said it remains committed to the inquiry and is learning lessons for the future.

However, the TaxPayers' Alliance has called it a waste of money, and COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK said the work being done is essential, but the public inquiry generally needs to be more efficient and less hostile.

'Defensive Approach'

Some have already raised questions about the scale and cost of the COVID inquiry.

It began in 2022 and its final report is not expected until 2027. It has already cost £192 million – a figure expected to exceed £200 million by the time it is completed, making it one of the most expensive public inquiries in history.

There are 10 separate inquiries – or modules, as they are called. So far, only two, which look at pandemic preparedness and government decision-making, have been completed.

But a BBC analysis of Cabinet Office documents revealed that government departments spent approximately £101 million from April 2023 to June 2025.

Most of this information is believed to have been collected by five specific departments – the Cabinet Office, the Home Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Treasury, and the UK Health Security Agency – which have been repeatedly asked to provide evidence.

The cost estimate does not include the time officials spent preparing and appearing as witnesses themselves.

Over half of the £101 million expenditure was spent on legal fees – including the hiring of external lawyers.

An investigation source said that this expenditure, to some extent, reflects the government's defensive approach to the investigation.

Inquiry Chair Baroness Hallett and the investigation's legal team have criticized government departments for delaying documents and obstructing the release of vital information.

The most famous case arose in 2023, when the investigation and the government took the government to the High Court over the government's refusal to release Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages, diaries, and notebooks. The government lost the case.

The source said the government had launched a "huge operation" that at times appeared "hostile and difficult" to investigate.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "The government is fully committed to supporting the investigation and learning lessons from the pandemic to ensure the UK is better prepared for future pandemics." The Cabinet Office said the court case was brought to seek clarity on a principal point – the right of an investigation to demand information that the provider considers irrelevant.

'Disgraceful'

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance think tank, said: "It is a great shame that ministers have spent an additional £100 million on top of the money already spent on the investigation.

"These new figures show that the total cost to taxpayers will be much higher than previously feared."

"Ministers must urgently address the rising cost of COVID investigations and commit to a quick and effective response."

A spokesperson for COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK said the investigation was "essential" and that any future expenditure would be repaid many times over if lessons were learned by saving lives while mitigating the economic impact of the next pandemic.

But he added: "The investigation process is not yet perfect."

He said the group supported the Hillsborough Act, which is being passed in Parliament and strengthens the legal responsibility of public authorities to support public investigations.

He said public investigations, like the COVID one, needed to be made more efficient and less confrontational.

"Only then can we reduce the cost of future investigations and protect access to justice."

A spokesperson for the COVID Inquiry said: "This inquiry is different from any previous public inquiry. It was given a much broader scope because it is examining many aspects of a pandemic that has affected everyone in society."

They said the chairman made it clear from the outset that it would take time and be significantly costly, but would result in recommendations aimed at better protecting the UK should the next pandemic strike.

They said the inquiry would not comment on the nature of its relationship with the government.