Britain remains ‘wildly under-resilient’, Covid inquiry hears

Oliver Letwin, who led emergency planning during coalition, says churn of ministers and officials is ‘disaster for country’

Britain’s whole system of critical national infrastructure remains “wildly under-resilient,” the Covid-19 inquiry has been told by Oliver Letwin, who was responsible for emergency planning in the coalition government.

It was also an “error” that no government had appointed a senior minister with sole responsibility over planning for pandemics and other areas of resilience, the former minister said. He described the churn of ministers and officials tasked with preparing for emergencies as a “disaster for the country”.