Key findings
- The Covid Inquiry has become the most expensive statutory inquiry conducted under the Inquiries Act 2005, with total expenditure now exceeding £192 million since its establishment.
- The projected total cost of the inquiry stands at £234 million, equating to an estimated daily cost of £163,108.
- This represents the fifth cost estimate produced by the TaxPayers’ Alliance. The organisation’s initial forecast in December 2023 placed the total cost at over £156 million,
meaning the latest projection is £77 million higher than originally estimated. - Expenditure by the inquiry amounted to over £70 million in 2023-24, almost £67 million in 2024-25, and more than £30 million in the first half of 2025-26. This brings total spending since inception to over £192 million.
- Since the Inquiries Act 2005 came into effect, 24 statutory inquiries have been completed, making the Covid Inquiry the most expensive of all inquiries conducted under this legislative framework.