UK Covid Inquiry report a 'damning condemnation' of both UK and Welsh Governments' pandemic response

‘Bereaved families still don’t have the answers’ – Heledd Fychan MS

Heledd Fychan, Plaid Cymru Senedd Member said:

“Today’s report is a stark reminder of the human cost of the Covid pandemic here in Wales.

"It's also a damning condemnation of both the UK and Welsh Governments response and how both fell woefully short of what was required to keep people safe. Neither Labour nor the Conservatives took decisions quickly or effectively enough - and people in Wales paid the price.

"Crucially the report finds that the decisions taken by Labour ministers were the ‘likely’ reason Wales suffered the highest mortality rate, which will be devastating to all those who lost a loved one at this time.

“Bereaved families still don’t have the answers they need or deserve. This report - and the wider inquiry - does not and cannot give them that clarity or comfort.

“The truth is we will never fully understand the true impact of the pandemic on Wales because Labour refused time and again to hold a Wales specific inquiry, and blocked Plaid Cymru’s attempts to establish one.

“A Plaid Cymru Government in 2026 would conduct a dedicated ‘gap inquiry’ to properly scrutinise the Welsh Government’s decisions at the time - providing the transparency and accountability that this inquiry could not deliver."