Treasury’s ‘secrecy’ hindered parts of Covid response, says think-tank

Treasury’s reticence to sharing analysis ‘contributed to decision-making becoming a tug of war’

Rishi Sunak, who was chancellor during two years of the Covid pandemic (PA Wire)

The Treasury’s secrecy and unwillingness to share analysis across Whitehall departments led to “problematic” government-decision making in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a report has claimed.

The government’s economic and finance ministry “excelled” in the “broadly successful” economic support schemes but its reticence to sharing research “contributed to decision-making becoming a tug of war”, a report by the Institute for Government (IfG) said.

The report – The Treasury during Covid: What lessons can be learned from the pandemic? – was based on more than 50 interviews and private discussions with current and former government officials and experts.