Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Face COVID-19 Inquiry Regarding Government’s Handling of Pandemic
London, UK – On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will appear before the UK COVID-19 Inquiry to answer questions about his government’s decisions during the pandemic. The inquiry will specifically address the government’s failure to protect children, resulting in tens of thousands of children suffering from Long Covid – a condition where symptoms of the virus persist long after the initial infection.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), approximately 1 in 165 children and young people, totaling around 72,000, have reported experiencing Long Covid symptoms after a second COVID-19 infection. This has had a significant impact on families across the UK, making this moment not just political, but deeply personal.
Under Johnson’s leadership, the government failed to adequately prepare schools for the pandemic and ignored the potential risks to children. This resulted in a lack of protection, clear guidance, and access to necessary medical support for children and their families.
“The government’s failure to prepare schools for COVID-19 was not accidental – it was ideological,” says Claire Every, spokesperson for Long Covid Advocacy (LCA). “When Boris Johnson compared Long Covid to ‘Gulf War Syndrome’, he exposed a belief system that dismisses biological illness as being psychologically influenced. This mindset drove policies that left children unprotected, unresearched, and unheard.”
LCA warns that these failures have led to delayed diagnoses, disrupted education, and devastating isolation for affected children. The organisation is calling for the inquiry to hold political leaders accountable for the long-term disability crisis that is currently affecting thousands of families in the UK.
Despite having one of the largest populations of children with post-acute viral disability in Europe, there is still little medical understanding or effective treatment for Long Covid in the UK. Many children are being denied accommodations for access to education and medical investigations due to a culture that remains stuck in a psychosomatic framing, which has plagued post-viral illnesses such as ME/CFS.
“Johnson’s contempt for the truth is evident in the bodies of our children,” says Dr Rupert Higham, from the University College London Institute of Education. “We’re not interested in apologies – children and young people deserve justice, recognition, and change. That means accountability for the past and prevention for the future.”
One of the key preventive measures is to protect children in schools, such as ensuring clean air through effective ventilation and air filtration. Recent initiatives, like Mayor Sadiq Khan’s investment in air filtration for London schools, demonstrate that protecting children’s health is both achievable and urgent. LCA is calling on the UK government to implement similar protections nationwide.
Long Covid Advocacy will continue to closely monitor the inquiry and amplify the voices of children and families living with the long-term effects of infection.
ENDS
Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.