Covid Public Inquiry. We demand answers.

Aim

We are campaigning for a transparent, robust and fair public inquiry into the government's pandemic response. Join us.

Independent SAGE are calling for a ‘transparent, robust and fair’ Covid public inquiry to give victims the answers they deserve.

As cases of COVID-19 reach record highs in the UK, Independent SAGE scientists are warning that the pandemic is 'far from over’ and lessons must be learned urgently to avoid making the same mistakes in this and future public health crises.

Why us?

Independent SAGE was founded by not-for-profit journalism organisation the Citizens at the start of the pandemic, to counter the government's lack of transparency and to bring clear scientific advice into the public domain. Since its first press conference in May 2020, Independent SAGE has held more than 75 live streamed briefings for the press and public, produced more than 50 reports and made thousands of media appearances to explain the science behind the pandemic. All of the scientists work on a voluntary unpaid basis.

Independent SAGE will be applying for ‘core participant’ status in the inquiry and we need your help to fund this work. 

The Public Inquiry 

The Covid public inquiry is due to start in spring 2022. Following the appointment of Baroness Heather Hallett as chair, the government has said it will announce the ‘Terms of Reference’ and the inquiry panel in the new year.

“It is vital that this inquiry is transparent, open and that it represents the communities who were most impacted by the pandemic, ethnic minorities, the disabled, the vulnerable, as they were hung out to dry.” Dr Deepti Gurdasani

Key issues the Public Inquiry needs to address:

• UK government failure to act in a timely way to minimise the spread of the virus
• The role and operation of advisory committees such as SAGE and the JCVI during the pandemic
• The performance of the ‘NHS Test and Trace’ system
• Failure to learn from international best practice
• How the pandemic disproportionately impacted BAME and deprived communities
• The discharge of patients from hospital to care homes and ability of care homes to obtain suitable supplies of PPE

As well as addressing the devastating loss of life and consequences for public health, the Citizens will also be highlighting the need to scrutinise government abuses of power in three key areas during the pandemic:

• The extensive use of Covid Emergency Legislation which enabled government to bypass parliamentary scrutiny. 
• The award of contracts to private companies under emergency procurement rules and the use of a ‘VIP Lane’.
• Transparency about the use of data gathered during the pandemic by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC). as part of Test and Trace. 

Why we need your support: 

We are using the Covid Public Inquiry as a way to hold the government to account and to call for a robust, transparent and fair public inquiry. 

“We’ve lost almost 170,000 lives, and we need to understand why that happened. This pandemic has affected almost every person in this country so it’s important that we get these answers for them.” Dr Deepti Gurdasani

We need your help to fund our campaign and coalition work, and for legal fees.

Please join us in demanding answers. 

This project successfully funded on 31st March 2022