The former health secretary told the coronavirus inquiry: "The attitude, the doctrine of the UK was to plan for the consequences of a disaster.

"Can we buy enough body bags? Where are we going to bury the dead?

"And that was completely wrong. Of course, it's important to have that in case you fail to stop a pandemic, but central to pandemic planning needs to be - how do you stop the disaster from happening in the first place? How do you suppress the virus?"

COVID inquiry latest: How Matt Hancock's evidence unfolded

Mr Hancock said he is "profoundly sorry" for every death caused by COVID-19 and blamed "doctrine" for believing the UK had things under control.

He said doctrinal failures had "consequences" in areas such as "stockpiles, testing, antivirals, contact tracing, and much more widely" when the pandemic struck in 2020.

He added that having pandemic plans focusing on flu was not the central flaw.

"For instance, large-scale testing did not exist and large-scale contact tracing did not exist because it was assumed that as soon as there was community transmission, it wouldn't be possible to stop the spread, and therefore, what's the point in contact tracing?" he said.

"That was completely wrong."

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Systems to stop next pandemic 'being dismantled as we speak'

Mr Hancock also said he was concerned the systems to stop the next pandemic are "being dismantled as we speak".

Speaking about the lack of proper preparedness, he said: "I am profoundly sorry for the impact that it had, I'm profoundly sorry for each death that has occurred."

He added: "And all I can do is ensure that this inquiry gets to the bottom of it, and that for the future, we learn the right lessons, so that we stop a pandemic in its tracks much, much earlier.

"And that we have the systems in place ready to do that, because I'm worried that they're being dismantled as we speak."

UK system 'geared towards how to clear up after a disaster, not prevent it'

Under questioning from Hugo Keith KC, lead counsel to the inquiry, Mr Hancock listed the issues the UK faced with PPE (personal protective equipment), tests, antivirals and vaccine preparedness.

The MP said he was told the UK was one of the best-placed countries in the world at responding to a pandemic - which "turned out to be wrong".

He told the inquiry the system was "geared towards how to clear up after a disaster, not prevent it" and that "flaw, that failure, went back years and years and was embedded in the entire system response".

Mr Hancock became one of the most recognised politicians in the country as he worked to steer the UK's coronavirus response before he was forced to quit in June 2021 after footage emerged of him embracing his aide Gina Coladangelo while social distancing guidelines were still in place.

Mr Hancock gave evidence a day after the head of the UK's Health Security Agency said austerity measures left public health services "denuded".