Summary

  • Levelling up and housing secretary Michael Gove is giving evidence to the Covid Inquiry

  • He says planning for Britain's EU exit "was some of the best preparation" possible for the Covid pandemic

  • The veteran Tory MP was Cabinet Office minister when the pandemic began, and held several ministerial posts in the decade before it

  • Before Gove, the inquiry heard from others including Melanie Field of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet medical journal

  • The inquiry aims to look at lessons learned from the handling of the pandemic - this first phase is focused on planning and preparedness

Live Reporting

Edited by Marita Moloney

  1. Preparing for Brexit helped prepare for future crisis, says Gove

    Gove explains that the civil service grew and expanded in readiness for leaving the EU.

    He says while the nature, pace and intensity of the work placed pressure on individuals, it led to "match fitness for what none of us anticipated but what was to come the year after".

    "I would argue the skills acquired, honed and refined during EU exit prep helped us not only to have an organisational system better in deal with process - but to have a cadre of people who'd been through an intense process that enhanced the ability to respond," he says.

    Kate Blackwell QC asks if the "overloading of staff" reflects that there was too much work for the civil service staff, with their focus "bent away" from preparing for a pandemic.

    Gove says he doesn't agree, adding: "Preparation for EU exit in and of itself was some of the best preparation that could have been undergone for any future crisis."

  2. 'Ultimately the pandemic that occurred was not a flu pandemic'

    Gove is being asked if the UK was unable to enact policy to help prevent the Covid-19 pandemic because of work force capacity issues.

    He says the government had been preparing for a flu pandemic, and had prepared a pandemic flu readiness board, but Covid-19 was not a flu pandemic.

    "Ultimately the pandemic that occurred was not a flu pandemic. It was one for which we were unprepared because few western nations, if any western nations had anticipated the particular type of pandemic that Covid-19 was," he says.

    He adds that the Cabinet Office "flexed rapidly" once it was clear what the scale of the pandemic was.

  3. Gove asked about impact of planning for no-deal Brexit

    Michael GoveUK Covid-19 Inquiry

    Kate Blackwell KC says the inquiry has heard from witnesses about the adverse impact planning for a no-deal Brexit had on preparing for a future pandemic.

    She asks if Gove accepts that moving staff over to deal with a potential no-deal Brexit had a detrimental effect.

    He says "no", explaining: "Because I haven't yet seen any activity that has been identified that would have enabled us to significantly better deal with the Covid-19 pandemic that did not occur as a direct result of EU exit."

  4. Gove asked to confirm previous roles

    goveUK Covid-19 Inquiry

    If you're wondering why the Minister for levelling up and housing is in front of the Covid-19 inquiry today, the inquiry said his role in implementing policy over the past few years has been significant.

    He confirms he has worked as:

    • Secretary of State for Education (May 2010 - July 2014)
    • Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (May 2015 -July 2016)
    • Secretary of state for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (June 2017- July 2019)
    • Cabinet Office and Civil Contingencies Secretariat; Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster (July 2019- September 2021)
    • Minister for Cabinet Office (February 2020 - September 2021)
    • Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (September 2021-july 2022 and Oct 2022-present)
    • Minister for Intergovernmental Relations (September 2021 - July 2022 and October 2022-present)

  5. Covid inquiry - key things to know

    Here's a quick reminder of some of the key things to know about the UK's Covid inquiry.

    • It is being chaired by Baroness Hallett - a former Court of Appeal judge who previously led the inquests into the 7 July London bombings in 2005
    • Witnesses will be announced each week, but we expect to hear from key politicians, scientists, unions, health and care organisations, Covid bereavement groups and more during the course of proceedings
    • Members of the public are being encouraged to share their stories with the inquiry by filling in this form online
    • No-one will be found guilty or innocent during this inquiry
    • This is about going through what happened and learning lessons
    • Any recommendations made by the inquiry at the end of this process do not have to be adopted by governments

  6. Gove starts giving evidence

    We're now hearing from Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister during the pandemic.

    The veteran Tory MP was Cabinet Office minister when the Covid-19 pandemic first began. He's held other roles since.

    We've already heard from representatives from the Government Equality Hub, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Nuffield Trust and the Lancet this morning.

  7. Watch the Covid inquiry live

    Covid inquiry graphic

    You can watch every moment of the Covid inquiry by pressing the Play icon at the top of this page.

    If you can't see the play button please refresh your browser or reload this page on the BBC news app.

  8. Who is Michael Gove?

    Michael Gove, wearing a suit and dark blue tie, in January 2023Getty Images

    Michael Gove is an experienced cabinet minister who has held a number of prominent roles in government. The 55-year-old has been MP for Surrey Heath for nearly 20 years.

    When the pandemic broke out, he held the post of Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster - the most senior minister in the Cabinet Office after the prime minister. It was Gove who led the daily coronavirus press conference the day it was announced that then-PM Boris Johnson had tested positive.

    The bigger questions he’s faced about the pandemic have been related to government procurement (you can read more here).

    The inquiry is currently looking at how prepared the country was ahead of the pandemic. Gove may have insights as he held a succession of powerful government posts in the decade leading up to the pandemic - including education secretary, chief whip, justice secretary and then environment secretary - and was a prominent Brexiteer.

  9. What is this inquiry about?

    This public inquiry was launched by Boris Johnson in May 2021 and covers decision-making in Westminster and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

    You might be wondering what the overall aim of a public inquiry is? Well, it aims to respond to"public concern" about events, in this case.

    Any inquiry has the power to make people appear as witnesses, and to provide evidence. Inquiries are expected to publish conclusions and may make recommendations.

  10. Gove to give evidence at Covid Inquiry

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the UK Covid Inquiry. It’s into the fifth week of its first phase, which is looking at how well prepared the UK was ahead of the pandemic.

    This afternoon we’ll bring you updates as former Cabinet Office minister and environment secretary Michael Gove gives evidence.

    So far today, there has been evidence from:

    • Marcus Bell (director of the Government Equality Hub)
    • Melanie Field (chief strategy and policy officer of the Equality and Human Rights Commission)
    • Nigel Edwards (chief executive of Nuffield Trust)
    • Richard Horton (editor in chief of the Lancet, a medical journal, and author)

    You can watch the proceedings live at the top of this page, and we'll be bringing you the latest on Gove's evidence, so stay with us.