The Covid Inquiry has already cost the taxpayer £40 million after just 23 days of evidence, figures reveal

• The UK government’s Covid inquiry has spent more than £20million on lawyers
• The inquiry’s chair Baroness Hallett has cost the taxpayer nearly £200,000

The Covid-19 inquiry has already cost the taxpayer nearly £40million, figures have revealed.

The three-year investigation has heard only 23 days’ worth of evidence so far, with some of those hearings barely lasting half a day.

But the gargantuan cost to the public purse is already becoming obvious.

According to the inquiry’s latest quarterly financial report, the period from April to the end of June added more than £14million to the cost.

More than £20million has so far been spent on lawyers and solicitors, with 12 senior King’s Counsel and 50 junior counsel appointed to work on the inquiry’s legal team at a total cost of nearly £14million.

The inquiry’s chairman, Baroness Hallett (pictured), alone has cost nearly £200,000 since the probe was set up by former prime minister Boris Johnson in May 2021

And more than 100 civil servants involved have cost in excess of £5million during the probe’s lifetime so far. 

The inquiry’s chairman, Baroness Hallett, alone has cost nearly £200,000 since the probe was set up by former prime minister Boris Johnson in May 2021.

And more than £1million has been spent in the past quarter on Every Story Matters, the mechanism for allowing people to share their experiences of the pandemic.

It has cost more than £3.5million in total, including money spent on a large tapestry inside the inquiry’s headquarters in Paddington, and an associated advertising campaign.

Benjamin Elks, operations manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign group, said: ‘These large costs don’t bode well for the Covid inquiry.

‘Officials must ensure that this vital investigation delivers verdicts swiftly, not allowing dither and delay to rack up a huge bill.’ 

A Covid-19 Inquiry spokesman said: ‘The Inquiry chair, Baroness Hallett, set out in her opening statement the substantial task faced by the Inquiry.

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

‘We regularly publish our financial information and have rigorous governance processes in place to make sure we are delivering value for money when fulfilling the inquiry’s terms of reference.’ 

More than £20million has been spent on lawyers and solicitors while the civil servants working on the inquiry have cost more than £5million 

More than £5.5million has been spent on ‘operational and cross-cutting costs’ during the course of the inquiry.

This takes into consideration nearly £4million on accommodation, including the inquiry’s hearing rooms and office space.

The financial report shows that the various Covid modules have cost nearly £800,000 in total – £350,000 in the past quarter. 

The first, which is looking into the UK’s preparedness for a pandemic and its resilience in a health crisis, began in June and concluded last month.

Costs include providing technology services and IT infrastructure to live stream the evidence online. It also supports witnesses giving evidence remotely.

The next module, focused on decision-making and political governance, is due to start in October. 

Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak, his chancellor during the pandemic, are both expected to give evidence.

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