Overview
- From April 2023 to June 2025, departments spent £100.9 million responding to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, including £56.4 million on legal advice and £44.6 million on staffing.
- Added to the inquiry’s own spending of about £192 million, the total public outlay now stands at roughly £293 million, positioning it to be the UK’s most expensive inquiry.
- Government staffing dedicated to the response peaked at 286 full-time equivalents by the end of 2024/25 and stood at 248 during April–June 2025.
- The Cabinet Office cautions the published figures are incomplete and not precise for accounting purposes, so the true amount could be higher.
- The inquiry expects to have completed nine of its ten hearing modules by year-end, with reports due through 2026 and early 2027, as taxpayer campaigners criticise costs and bereaved families defend the inquiry’s value.