The Welsh Conservatives will use a Senedd debate today to demand a full, independent, judge-led public inquiry into the Welsh Government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, accusing Plaid Cymru of misleading the public and bereaved families over its long-standing commitment to deliver one.
Darren Millar MS, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said Plaid Cymru had spent years demanding a Wales-specific Covid inquiry, with senior figures repeatedly calling for a statutory investigation with the power to compel witnesses and examine evidence.
Adam Price called for a statutory public inquiry in 2020, Rhun ap Iorwerth said in 2021 that the Welsh Government had “no excuse” not to establish one, and in July 2025 Mabon ap Gwynfor promised that a Plaid Cymru Government would establish a Covid inquiry for Wales within its first year.
However, following the 2026 Senedd election, Plaid’s Government has announced an expert-led Wales Covid-19 Review rather than a statutory public inquiry.
Welsh Conservatives have also highlighted the concerns of Covid-bereaved campaigners. The Co-Chair of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru has told BBC Wales that Plaid had “lied to us consistently”.
Darren Millar MS, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said:
“For years, senior Plaid Cymru MSs stood alongside bereaved families and demanded a full Wales-specific Covid inquiry, only to renege on those promises the moment they got into government.
“Ahead of the Senedd election, Plaid repeatedly promised an inquiry with statutory powers, led by a judge and with the ability to compel witnesses. Yet now they are in a position to deliver, they have betrayed the trust placed in them by bereaved families.
“A review focused on future preparedness is not a substitute for properly investigating the decisions taken in Wales during the pandemic. People deserve answers about what happened, why decisions were made and who was responsible.
“The Welsh Government must establish a full, independent, judge-led statutory inquiry, with the powers needed to get to the truth. The people of Wales, and particularly those who lost loved ones, deserve nothing less.”
Related Posts
“The world has moved on” Wales First Minister tells Welsh Covid bereaved families
Welcome for core participant role for Welsh bereaved families in Covid inquiry
Gething messages: An insult to bereaved families