Covid inquiry live: Priti Patel admits policing of Sarah Everard vigil was ‘totally inappropriate’

Ex-home secretary says police generally struck right balance between protest and Covid restrictions

Covid inquiry roundup: Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings provide worrying insight into No 10

Dame Priti Patel has admitted to the Covid inquiry that the policing of a vigil for murdered marketing executive Sarah Everard was “totally inappropriate”.

The former home secretary said she was “dismayed” by the policing of the vigil in early 2021. The Metropolitan Police have since apologised and paid damages to two of those who were arrested.

However, Dame Priti said she felt the police generally struck the right balance between enforcing coronavirus restrictions and upholding people’s right to protest – despite such matters feeling “uncomfortable” at the time.

Earlier today, former top police chief Martin Hewitt criticised localised Covid rules, the speed at which they changed, and the tier system of different regulations for different areas of the country.

He told the inquiry that localised tiers made it “incredibly difficult for even a perfectly law-abiding and committed citizen to understand precisely what that meant for them in their own personal circumstances”, while having different regulations “on opposite sides of the same road” made policing more difficult.

Jun Pang, the policy and campaigns officer at Liberty, is also giving evidence to the inquiry.

Key Points

• Priti Patel admits Sarah Everard vigil policing was ‘totally inappropriate'
• Government’s ‘hands tied’ on border controls, says Priti Patel
• Police delayed law after getting Matt Hancock’s sign off just minutes before midnight
• Policing was in ‘uncharted territory’ during pandemic, says former top police boss
• Johnson’s decision-making was ‘exhausting for his inner circle’

[31 October 2023 07:07 · Matt Mathers]

Pinned post: Covid inquiry continues

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Covid inquiry.

Lee Cain, former director of communications and Dominic Cummings, ex-chief of staff - two of Boris Johnson’s closest aides - are due to give evidence today.

Yesterday saw Martin Reynolds, the former principal private secretary and Imran Sahfi, the private secretary for public services, appear before the inquiry.

Here is a summary of the evidence given on Monday:

[31 October 2023 07:00 · Tara Cobham]

Watch: NHS left unprotected during pandemic, says Shafi

[31 October 2023 06:00 · Tara Cobham]

‘We have a weak and indecisive prime minister'

Lead counsel Hugo Keith KC referred to comments previously heard by the Covid inquiry describing Mr Johnson’s “ridiculous flip-flopping” - a note from former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance - and the Government looking like a “terrible, tragic joke”, a comment made by the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.

Another read “we have a weak and indecisive prime minister”, although it was not stated who had made that comment.

Mr Keith put it to Mr Johnson’s former principal private secretary Martin Reynolds: “In the face of a viral pandemic, if those views are right, that was a deeply unfortunate position to be in, was it not?”

Mr Reynolds replied: “Yes.”

The country was in a “deeply unfortunate position” when the pandemic hit, with a “weak and indecisive prime minister” in charge, the Covid inquiry has heard.

[31 October 2023 05:00 · Tara Cobham]

Ex-No10 chief admits he ‘disappeared’ messages in PM’s group chat

One of Boris Johnson’s key aides turned messages to “disappear” in a key Covid WhatsApp group only weeks after the ex-PM promised a Covid public inquiry, it has been revealed.

Martin Reynolds was grilled about switching the function to delete messages in the then-PM’s group April 2021 – just after Mr Johnson announced an inquiry – as he gave evidence on Monday.

Mr Reynolds, Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary, told the inquiry he “cannot recall exactly why I did so” – before adding that he did not believe it was to “prevent” the inquiry having access to the messages.

Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent reports:

[31 October 2023 04:45 · Shweta Sharma]

I’ve retained my WhatsApp messages relating to Covid pandemic, says Humza Yousaf

Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf has said he has not deleted WhatsApp messages relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, following press reports his predecessor and senior officials may have.

Last week a note to the chairman of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry from one of its counsels said the inquiry was of the belief that the “majority” of informal messages, including on WhatsApp had “not been retained”.

The First Minister said on Monday he had retained his messages, but that there had been a Scottish government policy on social media messaging which advised their deletion after 30 days.

[31 October 2023 04:14 · Shweta Sharma]

Women staff were being ‘talked over and ignored’, report into No 10 culture during pandemic finds

An internal report into the culture at the top of government in the early months of the pandemic found that women staff were being “talked over and ignored” and “bad behaviours” were being tolerated from senior leaders.

The report, by former top aide Martin Reynolds and then deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara, was written in May 2020 amid concerns about discipline, “macho behaviour” and misogyny, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry heard yesterday.

Released as part of a batch of documents relevant to the inquiry, the report asked more than 45 people who worked closely with No 10 what could be done to better support the prime minister in May 2020.

[31 October 2023 04:00 · Tara Cobham]

Watch: Johnson stressed ‘need to avoid overreaction’ at start of pandemic

[31 October 2023 03:00 · Tara Cobham]

‘High degree of dysfunctionality’ dealing with Johnson, says Shafi

The former private secretary to the prime minister for public services, Imran Shafi, told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry there was a "high degree of dysfunctionality" when dealing with the then-PM Boris Johnson.

Counsel to the inquiry Hugo Keith KC asked the witness: "The material may suggest there were a number of competing power sources in Downing Street, personality clashes, and we can see... a high degree of dysfunctionality in terms of dealing with the prime minister - would you agree?"

Mr Shafi replied: "Yes."

Mr Keith continued: "None of that leant itself well to the best sort of decision-making did it?"

Mr Shafi said: "No."

[31 October 2023 02:00 · Tara Cobham]

The ‘wrecked’ lives of forgotten long Covid sufferers

Nearly four years since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, you could be forgiven for believing the pandemic is behind us. But for many, it feels far from over.

Close to two million people face a daily battle with debilitating symptoms of long Covid – the lasting symptoms of the virus that remain after the infection is gone – with some now housebound, unable to walk and even partially blind.

Alan Chambers, 49, and Allan Reeling, 76, are among those who have been grappling with the illness for years, having caught coronavirus in March 2020, two months after the UK’s first two patients tested positive for the virus.

Read more here:

[31 October 2023 01:00 · Tara Cobham]

Watch: Reynolds agrees Covid officials operated ‘without proper playbook’