The official Covid-19 Inquiry, led by Baroness Hallett, has released a damning report revealing that childhood was "brought to a halt" by draconian Covid lockdowns, profoundly affecting young lives. Despite the "vast majority" of children being largely immune to the virus, their education and wellbeing were sacrificed to protect the adult population. Baroness Hallett stated that closing schools and nurseries in early 2020 represented "steps taken to protect the adult population – they brought ordinary childhood to a halt." For most children, the inability to see friends, school closures, and the requirement to stay at home had "profound consequences," leaving teachers and parents grappling with children struggling to meet key developmental milestones. Professor Sally Holland, former Children's Commissioner for Wales, warned that "if the opportunity to develop early skills is lost, it may be difficult to recover." The inquiry emphasized that the "drastic interference" inherently "put children at risk of harm." Jacob Rees-Mogg, who served in the Cabinet during the pandemic, agreed that children had been let down, stating, "My view was that once we knew that children were at no risk from Covid we had no right to stop them socialising."

The 760-page report concluded that no UK government was adequately prepared for the unprecedented task of educating most children at home or for understanding the complex ramifications of school closures on their lives. Lady Hallett asserted that had the UK been better prepared, fewer lives would have been lost, socio-economic costs substantially reduced, and political decisions more straightforward. While acknowledging that the nationwide lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 undoubtedly saved lives, she also highlighted their "lasting scars on society and the economy," including the halting of ordinary childhood, delayed diagnosis and treatment of other health issues, and exacerbation of societal inequalities.

A central, though controversial, finding of the inquiry was the claim that 23,000 lives were lost due to a mere one-week delay in imposing the national lockdown in March 2020. Baroness Hallett’s executive summary suggested that if lockdown had commenced on March 16 instead of March 23, the first wave's death toll could have been halved. However, this estimate, detailed on page 211 of the report, relies on modeling by Professor Neil Ferguson, whose "terrifying predictions" influenced Boris Johnson’s adoption of stringent restrictions and whose reliability has been questioned by other epidemiologists. The inquiry also found that the devastating lockdowns might have been avoided entirely if the government had responded sooner, indicating that the first lockdown "might have been shorter or not necessary at all" if earlier restrictions like self-isolation and social distancing had been implemented.

The inquiry heavily criticized the government's overall response as "too little, too late." Lady Hallett noted that by the time lockdown was considered, "it was already too late," becoming "inevitable because of the acts and omissions of the four governments." She condemned officials and politicians for their "glacial reactions" as the disease spread from China in January 2020, describing February that year as "a lost month" in which preparations could have saved tens of thousands of lives. The overall lack of urgency was deemed "inexcusable." Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer emphasized the need to "learn the lessons of Covid" for future preparedness.

Specific individuals and bodies also faced significant criticism. Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson was faulted for not appreciating the emergency sooner, his "oscillating" decisions on restrictions, and his optimism and skepticism compounded by "misleading assurances" from the Cabinet Office and Department of Health and Social Care. Former No 10 adviser Dominic Cummings was described as a "toxic" and "destabilizing influence," blaming the Cabinet Office and health department for failing to raise alarms. Matt Hancock, then-Health and Social Care Secretary, was labeled "over-enthusiastic," "over-promising and under-delivering," with "nuclear levels of confidence," accused of giving false assurances that the situation was under control. Helen McNamara, former deputy cabinet secretary, corroborated Hancock’s "nuclear levels of confidence" as a problem. Sir Christopher Wormald, former top mandarin at the health department, presided over these "misleading assurances" and failed to rein in Hancock.

Scientific advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), including Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty, was also scrutinized. SAGE had advised against introducing restrictions too early in March 2020, fearing "behavioural fatigue" among the public. Lady Hallett noted that SAGE suffered from "groupthink," with dissenting voices not adequately heard, underscoring the need for diverse perspectives in advisory processes. Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Patrick Vallance indicated that closing schools in 2020 only reduced Covid cases by as little as 10 percent.

Beyond the immediate health crisis, the inquiry highlighted further systemic failures. The Treasury failed to conduct meaningful models of the devastating economic costs, leading to "little evidence... of substantive economic modelling and analysis" being provided to decision-makers, which severely hampered the ability to assess and balance relative harms. Lady Hallett also criticized the "frequent and complex changes" to Covid rules, which caused "growing public confusion" and even baffled police regarding enforcement, ultimately undermining public trust. The inquiry addressed incidents of rule-breaking by ministers and advisers, such as Cummings's trip to Barnard Castle and Hancock’s affair, stating these further eroded public confidence and violated the public's expectation that rule-makers abide by the regulations themselves.