Covid Inquiry: Brexit helped prepare government for pandemic.

Preparing for Brexit meant the government was "match fit" to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has said.

He told the Covid inquiry civil servants "honed and refined" crisis skills as they worked up ways the UK could leave the EU.

At a previous session, senior civil servant Katharine Hammond said Brexit had distracted officials.

But Mr Gove argued Brexit was "the best preparation" for any future crisis.

The inquiry is aiming to learn lessons from the handling of the pandemic. The first phase of evidence gathering is focused on official planning and preparedness.

A number of senior politicians and officials have already given evidence, including former Prime Minister David Cameron and former Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

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