Britain's top scientific advisory committee will be reviewed over fears it holds too much sway over the Government's decisions, it was claimed today.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which has guided ministers through the pandemic, has been accused of using dubious data to persuade No10 into locking the country down and prolonging curbs.
Much of the criticism has been aimed at SAGE's pessimistic modelling of the crisis, which forecast an astonishing 500,000 deaths in the first wave and warned of 4,000 Covid victims per day this winter.
There have been 125,000 Covid fatalities in the UK in total and daily deaths peaked at around 1,300 in mid-January.