Planning for a no-deal Brexit made the UK 'better fit' to respond to Covid, says Michael Gove

Michael Gove, a staunch Brexiteer, has chaired the Cabinet committee overseeing readiness for a no-deal Brexit. Photo: Lucy North/Pennsylvania

Planning Michael Gove said a no-deal Brexit made the UK 'better suited' to respond to the Covid pandemic.

Mr Gove, who was Cabinet Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy Lancaster during the pandemic began in 2020, said during the Covid investigation that planning to leave the EU was «one of the best preparations» for the crisis.

The veteran Tory, who is now the rising secretary, was interrogated by an investigation into his previous positions and pandemic planning.

Giving evidence in the fifth week of the investigation, the 55-year-old denied that the transfer of employees to work on Brexit had a negative impact on pandemic planning.

He said the civil service has expanded in preparation for the EU's departure after Kate Blackwell, KC, investigative adviser, asked if employees were overworked.

«Better handle the crisis»

«Temper , the pace and intensity of the work certainly put pressure on individuals and the system, but also provided a greater degree of fitness for what none of us expected, but which was to happen in a year,” said Mr. Gove. .

“I would say that the skills acquired, honed and refined during the preparations for leaving the EU helped us not only to have an organizational system that was better able to cope with the crisis, but also to have a cadre of people who went through an intensive process that raised them ability to respond.

“Preparing to leave the EU was in itself one of the best preparations for any future crisis.”

Mr Gove, a staunch Brexiteer, chaired the Cabinet committee overseeing readiness to non-negotiate Brexit between government departments under Boris Johnson.

The Exit Operations Committee had to work at a “fast track” pace -for the deadline to leave the EU, he said.

“I really think it was good for the whole government to work at this pace, because we made the government more suitable as a whole for the terrible events that this investigation was created,” he added.

The focus was on the flu pandemic.

When asked whether the staffing issues caused by the transfer of staff to prepare for a no-deal Brexit impacted pandemic planning, Mr Gove said: «No, because I haven't seen the activities have been identified that would allow us to cope [with the pandemic] much better.”

He also said that the UK was not prepared for the coronavirus pandemic as it instead focused on responding to the flu outbreak.

“Ultimately, the resulting pandemic was not an influenza pandemic. It was one that we were not prepared for because few Western countries, if any Western countries, foresaw the specific type of pandemic that was Covid-19,” he said.

The Surrey Heath MP added that the Office's Spring 2020 cabinet «changed really quickly once the scope of the pandemic became clear.»

The investigation will continue next week when the first of six modules comes to an end .