Borisjohnson, largely absent up behind him, with the manager, iea boris johnson, largely absent from the table. Clearly not very happy and there is no love lost between the former leader, former Prime Minister and the outgoing First Minister. There was also another tricky exchange when Mark Drakeford discussed simon hart, the Welsh Secretary for the uk government throughout the pandemic. He was giving evidence on friday when she said she felt as though the Welsh Government was making decisions during the pandemicjust for the during the pandemic just for the sake during the pandemicjust for the sake of it, to be different to the uk government. Mark drakeford completely refuted that and noted simon hart did not give any evidence to back up that theory. Also Mark Drakeford said that simon hart got to the stage where he did not have much to do with the start of the pandemic, otherthan much to do with the start of the pandemic, other than essentially borrowing bothering Mark Drakeford about
south health infrastructure. the case of south korea, and i this with colleagues from south korea, it was after they colleagues from south korea, it was after they had a bad experience with something after they had a bad experience with something and they wanted beat things something and they wanted beat things up and they did put up in the case of things up and they did put up in the case of germany, they use base to be able to case of germany, they use base to be able to do case of germany, they use base to be able to do that. absent either public able to do that. absent either public investment over some period of time, public investment over some period of time, you public investment over some period of time, you cannotjust switch public investment over some period of time, you cannot just switch this on at of time, you cannot just switch this on at short of time, you cannot just switch this on at short notice or an industrial base on at short notice or
thing is we have heard this morning is that sir patrick vallance was suggesting that the scientists put a lot of time into working out when the best moment was to put those interventions in place, that we saw, and then he said, by the time they got to that weekend of 14th, 15th of got to that weekend of 1ath, 15th of march, they realise you could not predict in that precise a way, and they should have potentially gone earlier with that. it was interesting, quite a big issue at the time, he says that he was arguing as early as that weekend for london to go into a lockdown ahead of the rest of the country, he was saying it was because they looked at the data and it worked out that the disease had progressed much faster, more widespread than they thought, as he put it, further along in the pandemic than they had thought they would be. and that is what changed the dial that weekend. and who was at that put the brakes on that decision about london lockdown? it was the chancellor.
coming on to talk about say possibly a few days. we will be coming on to talk about later- say possibly a few days. we will be coming on to talk about later in - say possibly a few days. we will be | coming on to talk about later in the year, september, second lockdown and so on. the premise of my question so far has been that there was going to be a lockdown in march or thereabouts, it was just a question of when it happened and could it have been imposed earlier. adopting the same hindsight approach, do you think that in fact that first lockdown might have been avoided altogether had things been done differently? i altogether had things been done differentl ? ~ . altogether had things been done differentl ? ,, . ., differently? i think that if we had had a sealed. differently? i think that if we had had a scaled, test, differently? i think that if we had had a scaled, test, trace - differently? i think that if we had had a scaled, test, trace and - had a scaled, test,
accepting your point that ultimately it is for accepting your point that ultimately it is for politicians and their teams it is for politicians and their teams to it is for politicians and their teams to either accept or reject the advice teams to either accept or reject the advice they teams to either accept or reject the advice they are given, it can t have been advice they are given, it can t have been regarded as a positive that the evidence been regarded as a positive that the evidence we have heard is that one had a evidence we have heard is that one had a group evidence we have heard is that one had a group of behavioural scientists suggesting one thing and a group scientists suggesting one thing and a group of scientists suggesting one thing and a group of communications people in number a group of communications people in number ten a group of communications people in number ten essentially ignoring them and get number ten essentially ignoring