Public inquiry into Covid must begin now, says senior judge

Exclusive: Robert Owen urges No 10 to appoint chair to establish panel and arrange document disclosure

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A public inquiry into Covid should be launched immediately, a senior retired judge has said with a warning that if it does not report back for four or five years it ceases to form a useful function".

Sir Robert Owen, who chaired the public inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko and was counsel to the inquiry into the Ladbroke Grove rail disaster, has urged Downing Street to move quickly to appoint a chair who can start establishing a panel and arrange the disclosure of documents.