Undue weight was given to scientific advice over arguments for protecting the economy during the Covid pandemic, one of the most high-profile supporters of lockdowns has said.
When the pandemic arrived on our shores, the presence at the news conferences of Sir Patrick Vallance and Prof Sir Chris Whitty was a reassuring one. Their sober-suited seriousness acted as ballast for the then prime minister Boris Johnson, offering stable and informed advice to a politician faced with one of the worst peacetime crises to hit the country.