Now government favourite M&C Saatchi lands Covid-19 inquiry brief

M&C Saatchi is rapidly becoming the old UK Central Office of Information (COI) in disguise: now it’s won Every Story Matters, part of the UK’s official inquiry into the Covid-19 outbreak. Earlier this week it won UK Finance’s attempt to persuade us all that banks want to help borrowers struggling to pay their mortgages.

The Covid-19 inquiry, helmed by Baroness Heather Hallett, a judge, says: “M&C Saatchi has been appointed to deliver the next phase of communications around Every Story Matters. This follows a robust, transparent and competitive public sector procurement process.

“M&C Saatchi’s work will focus on engaging the public and encouraging them to share their experiences with the inquiry.”

As if the inquiry, which may take years to actually produce a report as its brief seems to extend into all areas of government and the NHS as well as the passage of the disease itself, needs any more evidence. It’s already more than apparent that families and others suffered extraordinary privations during the two-year pandemic, including being barred from seeing their dying loved ones.

Is M&C the only agency that can successfully complete the Cabinet Office’s paperwork?