UK Covid-19 inquiry: report ‘does not go far enough’ say bereaved families – as it happened

Group says it is relieved' at many of report's recommendations but calls for more measures to tackle inequality and improve capacity of public services

The UK was dangerously mistaken" to believe that it was one of the best prepared countries in the world to respond to a pandemic, Lady Hallett said.

In 2019, it was widely believed in Britain and abroad that the UK was not only properly prepared but was one of the best-prepared countries in the world to respond to a pandemic," she said.

There will likely be a next time. The expert evidence suggests it is not a question of if' another pandemic will strike but when'.

The evidence is overwhelmingly to the effect that another pandemic - potentially one that is even more transmissible and lethal - is likely to occur in the near to medium future.