THE Covid Inquiry will cost taxpayers £208million — the most for any probe in UK history. Analysis reveals the hearing , which sits until 2026 and employs hundreds of civil servants, costs £150,000 a day. 1 Chair Baroness Hallett has been paid more than £500,000 Credit: AFP The bill — £124million by September — will top £200million if the rate continues, it is reckoned.
Chair Baroness Hallett has been paid more than £500,000 and £37.7million will go on legal bills , says the TaxPayers’ Alliance. Chief John O’Connell said expenses were rising as the inquiry “drags on .
. . with no signs of fiscal restraint”.
He said: “The cost of the Covid inquiry has spiralled even further out of control, with taxpayers left footing an ever-growing bill. “As the inquiry drags on, it’s clear that the expenses are only climbing, with no signs of fiscal restraint in sight. "The new government should impose a clear deadline and strict controls on expenditure to ensure taxpayers get the swift and decisive answer they deserve.
” An inquiry spokesman claimed the “flawed” analysis was based on hypothetical future expenditure and an imaginary end date. Ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock will today appear at the inquiry — which has been blasted for focusing on government dysfunction rather than lockdown costs and benefits. Most read in Health FEAR REALISED I looked like Elephant Man after a dentist's needle got stuck in my jaw HEAD SPIN Common painkiller may 'raise risk .
