Projected cost of Covid Inquiry is £208million - enough to pay 6,000 doctors' salaries

The total cost of the Covid inquiry is projected to be almost £208 million making it the most expensive statutory inquiry in British history.

Around £150,000 is being spent every day on the probe which was established on 28 June 2022 and is expected to conclude in June 2026, according to analysis of publicly available data by the Tax Payers Alliance.

For the equivalent cost the Government could fund the annual salary of almost 6,000 junior doctors for one year or five state-of-the-art hospitals for four years.

So far the Government has spent more than £124 million on the probe which started two years ago with over £70 million having been spent in the 2023/2024 financial year alone.

Almost £70 million has been dealt so far to legal firms and solicitors which have been tasked with probing key witnesses and evaluating evidence and testimonies, according to the inquiry's latest accounts which were published in October 2024.

Some £1.2 million has also been spent on emotional support services to fortify the 'emotional wellbeing of individuals participating in hearings, listening and commemoration activity'.

Meanwhile the probe's chairwoman Baroness Hallett has been paid a staggering £524,000 for her efforts with a pro rata rate equivalent to a salary of £256,000.

Critics of the inquiry have argued that the remit of the investigation is too broad leading to the flagrant waste of public money.

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'The cost of the Covid inquiry has spiralled even further out of control, with taxpayers left footing an ever-growing bill.

'As the inquiry drags on, it's clear that the expenses are only climbing, with no signs of fiscal restraint in sight.

'The new government should impose a clear deadline and strict controls on expenditure to ensure taxpayers get the swift and decisive answer they deserve.'

Some experts have said that the high-profile evidence sessions have been dominated by WhatsApp and Westminster tittle-tattle rather than focusing on key policy areas where things might have been done differently.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock as well as Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Advisor Sir Patrick Vallance have all already made high-profile appearances before the inquiry committee.

Responding to criticism from the TPA, a spokesperson for the Covid Inquiry said: 'This is flawed analysis.

'These are figures based on hypothetical future expenditure and an imaginary Inquiry end date, and the UK Covid-19 Inquiry does not recognise them.

'The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is unlike any previous public inquiry.

'It has a very broad scope because it is investigating multiple aspects of a pandemic that affected everyone in society.

'The Inquiry Chair, Baroness Hallett, has set out the substantial task faced by the Inquiry to consider and report on the preparations and the response to the pandemic in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

'She made clear that to do this properly will take time and have a significant cost.

'The Inquiry continues to be thoroughly transparent, publishing financial reports on a quarterly basis for anyone to see.'

Currently, the inquiry is nearing the end of its 10-week investigation into section 3 - healthcare systems - out of a possible 10 different 'modules' .

Based on the TPA's findings, the Covid inquiry is expected to dwarf the cost of all other statutory probes in Britain - costing 28 times more than the Phone Hacking [Leveson] inquiry.

Meanwhile its per day rate cost will be over double that of Britain's second most expensive inquiry - the Child Sexual Abuse probe - which cost £70,484 each day.

The independent public inquiry was set up after the pandemic to examine the UK's response to and impact of the Covid 19 pandemic as well as to learn lessons for the future.

Since 2005 when the Inquiries Act was introduced, there have been 22 completed statutory inquiries that have released full accounts.