20-05-2025
Live updates as Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething appear before the Covid inquiry
Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething are due to give evidence at a Covid-19 inquiry in London on Tuesday. The inquiry is looking at the approach of the UK government and devolved nations to testing, tracing, and isolation adopted during the pandemic.
The hearings will be held at Dorland House in London between Monday, May 19, and Thursday, May 22. As well as expert witnesses and treasury officials the inquiry will also hear from decision makers at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic including those from the Senedd, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and Westminster.
On Tuesday former Wales First Minister Mr Drakeford and as well as Mr Gething, also a former First Minister but who was health minister at the time of the pandemic, will answer questions. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.
Both Mr Drakeford and Mr Gething previously gave evidence at a Covid-19 inquiry in Wales last year, which revealed that Welsh Government officials and ministers used WhatsApp, against Senedd rules, to discuss what was going on, and later deleted messages – going against proper record-keeping.
Mr Drakeford told the inquiry during that hearing: 'I don't claim we got everything right.' You can read more about the Wales Covid inquiry here.
This week's hearing represents the seventh out of 10 'modules' of investigation and is focusing on approach to testing, tracing and isolation during the pandemic.
Previous modules have focused on preparedness and resilience, the pandemic's impact on healthcare systems, vaccines, therapeutics and anti-viral treatment across the UK, procurement, and the impact of the pandemic on the publicly- and privately-funded adult social care sector.
You can follow live updates from Tuesday's hearing below and remember to join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news:
