COVID-M2.11 Response Accepted

Leadership Succession Arrangements

Recommendation

The UK government and the devolved administrations should each establish formal arrangements for covering the roles of Prime Minister and First Minister (and in Northern Ireland, deputy First Minister) as applicable during a whole-system civil emergency, should the incumbent be unable to undertake their duties for any reason.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The UK government stated in its Module 2 response (25 March 2026) that it accepts the recommendation and the Prime Minister will put in place appropriate arrangements (UK Government Response to the Covid-19 Inquiry Module 2 Report, CP 1534, 25 March 2026).
- No details were provided on the specific form these contingency arrangements will take.
- No published documentation of formal succession or deputisation arrangements for the Prime Minister during emergencies has been identified.
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The evidence above reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Accepted
No Published Response Scottish Government Initial Response
20 Nov 2025

No formal response published by this government.

No Published Response Welsh Government Follow-up
20 Nov 2025

No formal response published by this government.

No Published Response Northern Ireland Executive Follow-up
20 Nov 2025

No formal response published by this government.

Accepted UK Government Follow-up
25 Mar 2026

The Government accepts the recommendation and the Prime Minister will put in place the appropriate arrangements.

Read Full Response
Progress Timeline
Official Report
20 Nov 2025

Status: Pending. No government response yet received. Module 2 report published 20 November 2025.

Source
Source
Inquiry COVID-19 Inquiry
Report Module 2: Core Decision-Making 20 Nov 2025
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Cabinet Office Primary
Themes & Tags
Emergency contingency plans Weak Government Accountability & Scrutiny Contingency Arrangements Leadership Cover Prime Minister First Minister
Recommendation age 0.8 yr
Last formal update 25 Mar 2026