The public inquiry into the Covid pandemic has cost the Government more than £100 million to respond to so far, according to official figures.
Transparency data from the Cabinet Office shows the overall cost for responding to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, including for legal advice and dedicated staff working on preparing evidence.
The cost is on top of the £192 million cost of the inquiry itself so far. The inquiry is expected to become the most expensive in British history.
The documents, analysed by the BBC and seen by the Press Association, reveal 248 full-time equivalent staff were working on the Government response to the Covid inquiry at the last count.
The figures show:
– £56.4 million was spent by the Government on legal costs from April 2023 to June 2025 inclusive, with £26.2 million in the 12 months to March 2024, £25.0 million in the 12 months to March 2025, plus £5.2 million in the three months from April to June 2025.
– £44.6 million was spent on staff costs across this period, made up of £18.0 million in the year to March 2024, £21.6 million in the year to March 2025, and £5.0 million in the three months April-June 2025.
– The combined total for legal and staff costs for the period April 2023 to June 2025 is £100.9 million, though the true amount could be higher as the costs are “not based on a complete set of departmental figures and are not precise for accounting purposes”, according to the Cabinet Office documents.
– The number of full-time equivalent staff working on the Government’s response to the inquiry stood at 265 at the end of the 2023/24 financial year, had risen to 286 by the end of 2024/25, and then fell to 248 across April-June 2025.
The Cabinet Office and Covid inquiry have been contacted for comment.
