By Ben Kerrigan-
Dan York-Smith, a former senior HM Treasury (HMT) official, provided extensive testimony to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry across multiple modules, particularly Modules 2 (core decision-making) and 9 (economic response). His evidence focused on the immense pressure on the Treasury, the rapid development of support schemes, and the lack of scrutiny applied in a crisis.
The expensive inquiry which has already rebuked Stormont and No 10 for incompetence has opened up a can of worms over the way preparations for the pandemic was conducted.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
There has been much furore following the findings by a former judge that the UK government did too little too late, and that the lack of adequate leadership and preparation led to avoidable 23 ,000 deaths. .
York-Smith, who was HMT’s Director of the Strategy, Planning and Budget Group during the early pandemic, stated that the need for rapid mobilisation of programmes meant there was less scrutiny than would be applied in a business-as-usual scenario.
The Treasury often turned around requests for funding “extremely quickly (often in hours)” to meet the Prime Minister’s ambitious commitments. Testimony revealed a chaotic environment at the heart of government. York-Smith was involved in WhatsApp message exchanges showing No. 10 had briefed the newspapers about a major Treasury support package before it had been formally agreed upon.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
He noted that while “people were doing thinking,” the timing of the announcement was “not something that had been pre-agreed” with the Treasury. He gave evidence that work done on “Operation Yellowhammer” (no-deal Brexit planning) was “usefully re-purposed” as part of the pandemic economic response, such as the furlough scheme.
York-Smith stated he did not see any economic modelling related to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) or specific financial plans for a COVID-19 response in the initial stages.
He provided formal written witness statements to the Inquiry, which are publicly available on the official UK Covid-19 Inquiry website. These documents detail the HMT’s perspective on the financial decision-making process.
His most recent appearance was for Module 9 (economic response) in November 2025, where he was questioned in detail about the development and implementation of schemes like furlough and business loans. Overall, his testimony painted a picture of a Treasury department overwhelmed by the pace of the crisis, operating under immense political pressure, and having to bypass standard procedures to get money out the door quickly.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar