United Kingdom Report

Having suffered high infection and death rates as well as a deep economic contraction, the United Kingdom has faced several profound challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some of this was due to factors largely beyond the control of the incumbent governments at different levels in the United Kingdom. These factors included the infectiousness of the coronavirus; the legacy of previous governments, which had done too little to implement recommendations from previous Whitehall pandemic exercises; and the insufficient stock of personal protective equipment (PPE), resulting from the austerity policies of the previous decade.