Gove says that the "inherent structure of the Cabinet Office was flawed" even before the pandemic.

He adds that the Cabinet Office over many years has "operated in a way which is not as effective as it should be for the effective delivery of government policy", both during normal times and during times of crisis.

The structure meant it was not prepared for a "whole systemic crisis" like the pandemic.

You can watch every moment of today’s public hearing by pressing Play at the top of this page.

If you can't see the icon, refresh your browser or reload this page on the BBC news app.

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As with all of these hearings, counsel to the inquiry Hugo Keith KC begins by asking Michael Gove some questions about his previous government roles.

This could take some time...

To recap, Gove was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office during the pandemic. He later moved to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Asked why he held the two posts simultaneously, Gove says he was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster solely "to lead on preparations for Brexit - and a potential no-deal scenario".

He adds that responding to civil emergencies was within his brief, but he realised before taking on the role that the Cabinet Office "was not configured appropriately for the crisis of the pandemic".

Image source, UK Covid-19 Inquiry

Michael Gove has just been sworn and his evidence session has begun.

We'll be bringing you all the key lines from in this text stream.

You can also watch the action inside Dorland House live by clicking the Play button at the top of the page.

Image source, EPA

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

• It’s being chaired by Baroness Hallett - a former Court of Appeal judge who previously led the inquests into the 7 July London bombings in 2005
• The names of people giving evidence will be announced for each week - they include key politicians, scientists, unions, health and care organisations, Covid bereavement groups and more
• Members of the public are being encouraged to share their stories with the inquiry by filling in this form online, external
• 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

It’s not Gove’s first time at the Covid inquiry, he gave evidence back in July during the first phase which focused on official planning and preparedness in the pandemic.

Notably, he suggested Brexit meant the government was "match fit" to respond to the pandemic.

He told the inquiry civil servants "honed and refined" crisis skills as they worked up ways the UK could leave the EU.

Gove said the civil service "grew and expanded in readiness for EU exit", meaning more staff were available to react when Covid spread across the UK.

He told the inquiry that the UK, along with other western nations, was unprepared for Covid because it was too focused on planning for a new form of pandemic influenza instead.

A lot’s happened over the last seven weeks.

If you want a refresh, you can listen back to the BBC’s Covid Inquiry Podcast with health correspondent Jim Reed here.

In this latest episode, Reed looks back on last week, when chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty and the government’s chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance gave their evidence.

There are twelve episodes in total, looking at anything and everything you may have missed over the last four months.

All previous episodes of the podcast are here.

Image source, Reuters

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove will face the inquiry this morning.

Gove is an experienced cabinet minister who has held a number of prominent roles in government.

The 56-year-old has been MP for Surrey Heath since 2005.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.

Gove said in the first module of the Covid inquiry that Brexit meant the government was "match fit" to respond to the pandemic.

He’ll appear before the inquiry from 10:00 GMT - stay with us.

Yesterday, the inquiry took evidence from three regional mayors: Sadiq Khan, for London, Andy Burnham, for Greater Manchester, and Steve Rotheram, for the Liverpool City Region.

Both Khan and Burnham spoke critically of their requests being repeatedly blocked to join emergency Cobra emergency meetings at the start of the pandemic.

Khan said he was "kept in the dark" by the government and that "lives could have been saved" if he had been allowed to attend meetings earlier.

Burnham said London-centric decision-making meant his region was "stuck" with higher Covid rates throughout 2020.

Rotherham added that he'd been left to wait for the evening news bulletin to find out "nearly every major announcement".

Read more here.

It’s the seventh week of the second phase of public hearings for the Covid inquiry.

This module is looking at UK decision making and political governance during the coronavirus pandemic, and this week we’re hearing from several key figures - including three former cabinet ministers.

The first, Michael Gove, is appearing at 10:00 GMT this morning. He was chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during the pandemic, before moving to the department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, he is currently housing secretary.

It’s the turn of Dame Jenny Harries to give evidence this afternoon after 14:00 GMT, she’s a former deputy chief medical officer.

And later this week, we’ll hear from Matt Hancock, health secretary during the pandemic and for deputy PM Dominic Raab.

Image source, PA Media

Former chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove has just arrived at Dorland House, where the Covid inquiry is being held.

Gove will be delivering evidence to the inquiry from 10:30 GMT this morning and you can watch live by clicking Play at the top of this page.

Emily McGarvey
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry continues.

It’s going to be another bumper day at the hearing, with former chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and Dame Professor Jenny Harries, former deputy chief medical officer, both due to give evidence.

Later this week, the inquiry will take evidence from two other ex-cabinet ministers - former deputy PM Dominic Raab and former health secretary Matt Hancock

For now, though, we’re watching and waiting for the arrival of Michael Gove at Dorland House in London, where the inquiry is being held.

He’s up first, before we hear from Harries this afternoon.

We’ll be bringing you live updates throughout the day and you’ll be able to watch it all by clicking Play at the top of this page, so stay with us.