Welcome to the Inquiry – Laurence Fox

The lockdown of affluent societies across the world in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been the greatest social and public-health experiment in history, the repercussions of which may take many years to unfold.

Right now, there are brilliant organisations across the globe digging deep into the data surrounding the efficacy of lockdown as a policy. The inconsistencies between countries or states which did shut society down and those which did not are, however, not in the purview of an actor and fledgling politician with a pretty rudimentary grasp of maths and graphs.

My interest is people and their stories – I want future generations to have a living time capsule of the changes to their lives and professional disciplines as a result of these past many months. I spoke to Baroness Fox about this idea to move away from data and towards people – to create a ‘People’s Lockdown Inquiry’ for future generations to relive what we currently live in. Claire and the wonderful Academy of Ideas team (at The University of Buckingham) accepted my commission to assemble this moving, informative and, in many cases, heart-breaking report.

One thing that continues to bother me deeply has been the suppression of full debate around lockdown policies. Countless stories and conversations became forbidden as we charged headlong into coping with Covid.

And yet, it is only through the broadest possible debate that human beings can come to the most informed and sensible solutions. An individual’s inalienable right to question narratives and be sceptical of enforced diktats, however uncomfortable, are of benefit to mankind. Too often important questions, ideas and eminent experts with the ‘incorrect’ views have been silenced during these dark months. As their voices once again begin to sing, so the truth will find its way out.

Freedom of speech, thought and inquiry is the best way we as human beings have found to prevent using other more brutal tools to make our points. Our shared commitment to it has seen peace given its longest reign for centuries. We dispense with it at our peril. Readers will have a glimpse into the hearts and experiences of the people who have contributed to this report and can judge for themselves how they feel about it.

I am so grateful to all our contributors for their words. I feel blessed that, in each of our own small ways, our voices have combined to give you this People’s Lockdown Inquiry – of the people, by the people and for the people. I hope it nourishes your heart and mind, as it has so deeply affected mine.

We must never forget.

Laurence Fox

Leader, The Reclaim Party

Laurence Fox is an English actor and political activist. He was born in 1978 in Leeds, the third of five children, and enrolled at Harrow School at the age of 13 before moving onto the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, RADA.  Laurence graduated in 2001.

He is probably best known for playing DS James Hathaway in the British TV drama series Lewis from 2006 to 2015. He has appeared in numerous films, first appearing in The Hole (2001), and been in national television features and theatre productions.  Fox is a singer-songwriter and guitarist.  His debut album, Holding Patterns, was released in February 2016 followed by A Grief Observed in 2020.

Laurence Fox is an advocate of freedom – of speech, movement and assembly.  He has been and remains an outspoken critic of woke politics, political correctness and cancel culture on national TV and social media.  He has appeared on BBC’s Question Time.

He is the founder and Leader of the Reclaim Party. In March 2021, he announced he was standing against Sadiq Khan in the London mayoral election to fight against the encroachments personal liberty inflicted by extreme political correctness and the COVID lockdowns.

Follow Laurence on Twitter: @LozzaFox