Nearly as many people have died in the UK from COVID as British military personnel died in the six years of World War II. It is hard to overestimate the importance of establishing the facts of the pandemic, without doubt or spin—not only for the victims, but also so that hindsight may help us when, inevitably, the next pandemic comes.
Few would doubt the wisdom of establishing a public inquiry independent of those who found themselves having to make decisions in the most challenging of circumstances. It was obviously right that the inquiry be established under the Inquiries Act 2005 (IA 2005) so that witnesses could be compelled to attend and documents demanded with the reinforcement of criminal sanctions for non-compliance.
Now, an esoteric dispute has arisen between the inquiry and the government about the disclosure of documents and information. Whether or not
