The Covid inquiry has heard that ministers focused too much on the health impact of the pandemic rather than the economic fall-out. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch stated that the government should have given more consideration to the financial hit on households caused by the virus.

Health vs. Economy

Kemi Badenoch, speaking at the Covid Inquiry, expressed her belief that the government should have placed greater emphasis on the economic impact of the pandemic. She highlighted the fact that school absence rates have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, indicating that anxiety and a lack of mental health support have made it difficult for children to leave their homes.

Missed Opportunities

"I think another area we should have done more on was on the economic impact," Mrs Badenoch stated. "We were looking very much at the health side and I think that we should have looked at the economic impact of lockdown. I think that now you're seeing many outcomes which are related to, you know, the missing children in schools, for example, what happened to them."

Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation

Mrs Badenoch also revealed that she has been targeted by conspiracy theorists and criticized the government's handling of misinformation. She believes that the government has not adapted to the rapid spread of information through social media and called for action to address this issue.

"I don't think we have adapted to this age of social media where information travels at lightning speed. I don't know how we solve it, but in terms of gaps, I think there is a lesson in the pandemic that this is an area that needs some addressing," she said.