The hearings may be ending, but our fight continues

By Matt Fowler

The beginning of 2026 heralds the end of the UK Covid Inquiry public hearings.

The last 6 years have revolved around the Inquiry for myself and the thousands of bereaved people who make up the membership of our campaign. It has been a long and difficult path to tread with more than its fair share of pitfalls and obstacles along the way. It’s a path that has changed people and left its mark, both as badges of honour and as painful scars.

As we approach the final day, our final witnesses and the final closing of the hearings, it feels right to reflect on what we have been through and what we have overcome to get here. There is an element of grim satisfaction that in the records, my father Ian Fowler will be forever tied to the biggest public inquiry in British history. We have all lost something; everyone's lives were affected by the pandemic in one way or another. For those of us bereaved, we have lost those we loved, senselessly, needlessly. As painful as that loss is, it would be a disservice not to acknowledge that out of the pain came drive, the catalyst for change. I had no idea back in April 2020 that my anguish would lead me here, just like it led all of the other families bonded through shared grief here with me.

Our fight to bring about the Inquiry was eye-opening. Like many, I believed that it was common sense to investigate and problem-solve the failures to protect our population. Lives were at stake, and if we could stop the bleed and put better responses in place, we could save people before things spiralled out of control. The truth was that the government at the time either didn't want to act or didn't want to admit its mistakes. Their refusal to engage with us or start an inquiry early when it could have proactively protected people was shocking to me. What seemed obvious was ignored, and so in fact were we.

What happened next is a testament to the enduring spirit of our group. We would not be cowed into silence, and a dogged campaign to manoeuvre the government into agreeing with us eventually became fruitful. We were lied to, we were lied about, but we were never stopped, and we never will be.

The inquiry has been almost as much of a battle in itself. Promises were made and subsequently broken. I remember sitting in one of the preliminary terms of reference meetings with Baroness Hallet. Her assertion that the bereaved would be front and centre of the inquiry was welcomed. How disappointing it was when, before the first evidential hearing, it became clear that the promises made would not be honoured. Active participation has been a point of contention, with our questions often ignored and witnesses denied.

Despite it all, we have remained dedicated and active. We have helped to ensure crucial issues like systemic racism were addressed by the inquiry. We have put forward more probing questions to key witnesses and ensured the dignity of the bereaved throughout. It will never be said that through the inquiry we were ineffective.

There are too many people who have worked on this campaign for me to individually name. Thousands of family members, our volunteers, past and present staff members, and our legal support have all come together, many during the hardest time they have endured, and have made a difference to the world. That world was a very different place 6 years ago. It is a world we must continue to fight to change. It's important to consider too that these are ordinary people, not politicians or campaigners, and they have taken upon their shoulders willingly the task of ensuring lessons are learned.

The pandemic changed our whole society and, in many ways, will never return to the way it was. Not least, the way the public views government messaging and the rampant spread of conspiracy theories makes the job of finding the truth even harder. 

Many of the bereaved have sometimes been met with hostility and insult. I myself have been personally attacked by strangers who simply don't believe that the pandemic ever happened at all. That is an experience many of our members have faced. But amazingly, we have continued to campaign to save lives in the face of that increasing abuse. In the midst of their grief.

When the last hearings finish in March, our campaign will enter a new phase. Each module report will include recommendations, and it will remain our job both to ensure those recommendations meet the requirements to protect people and to push the government to implement them. That is how we save lives. This inquiry has given us a blueprint for saving lives. Our campaign must now see that this government and future governments implement it. 

I am reminded again that, in a meeting with the Inquiry team a couple of years ago, we were told it wouldn't be the Inquiry team's job to campaign for recommendations to be implemented; it would be our job. 6 years ago, we fought for an inquiry so that we could hold those responsible for the deaths of our loved ones accountable and save lives when the next crisis hits. Given the incredible impact we have already had, I am in no doubt that our campaign will be up to the task of delivering on our aims.

The fight hasn't stopped, and so, neither shall we.