An independent public inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic will be held in spring 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told MPs.
Mr Johnson said the government was “fully committed to learning the lessons at every stage of this crisis”.
The devolved administrations will be consulted before the scope of the inquiry is outlined, the PM added.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the government to consult the affected families at the earliest moment.
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK group has been lobbying Mr Johnson since last summer to meet them and to launch an urgent independent investigation into the pandemic.
The group has been calling for the inquiry to begin this summer, saying that learning lessons from the pandemic “is critical to saving lives now and in the future”.
During a statement in the Commons, the PM said the inquiry would place “the state’s actions under the microscope”.
It will be able to take oral evidence under oath, Mr Johnson said, adding that the state has an obligation “to learn every lesson for the future”.
Mr Johnson told MPs: “So, I can confirm today that the government will establish an independent public inquiry on a statutory basis, with full powers under the Inquiries Act 2005.”