The Covid inquiry was set up to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic.

I hope we get illuminating answers and a pathway to what to do if we are confronted with another pandemic.

However, if the sessions so far are anything to go by, what appears to be emerging is nothing short of a blame game.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron and former Chancellor (and then MP for Tatton) George Osborne appeared before the inquiry and were questioned over whether the 'austerity' years of the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition had left the country unprepared for a pandemic and whether it had impacted the NHS’s ability to cope with one.

The coalition government was voted into office by the public in 2010 to get the economy back on track after the financial crash of 2008.

No one can forget the infamous note left by former Labour Treasury Minister Liam Byrne stating 'there is no money left' as he left office in 2010.

David Cameron and George Osborne made clear - and rightly so - if they had not got the economy back on track there would have been no way the current government could have afforded furlough and the Covid support for families and businesses.

As to pandemic preparedness – there was a plan in place. However, the Pandemic Preparedness Strategy 2011, did not recommend lockdowns, nor did the other 27 European pandemic plans (published by the European Centre for Disease Control on February 5, 2020).

Despite this, a decision was still made to impose a severe Chinese-style lockdown on the UK in March 2020.

The focus needs to be on why these plans were suddenly changed and severe lockdowns put in place. If we do not get to the bottom of that then I’m afraid this inquiry will be a waste of public money and time.

What I want and expect from the inquiry, and what my businesses and constituents want, are answers. Answers as to why the country was repeatedly locked down causing untold damage to lives and livelihoods.

The damage caused by lockdowns is widespread and we continue to see its impact every day, in both the physical and mental health of the nation, children trying to catch up on vital time missed from education, and the severe economic consequences - not least of high inflation.

These are the real issues this inquiry needs to be focussing on.

I fear that what we will end up with is a public health establishment whitewash, and a rewriting of history.