The government has been accused of “turning away from expert advice” after a minister suggested that scientific and medical officials were staying away from Downing Street briefings on coronavirus because they had “a huge amount of other work to do”.
Sir Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat acting leader, dismissed as “risible” the explanation offered by foreign secretary Dominic Raab for his solo appearance at the daily press conference on Monday. And he warned that ministers risked “dismantling trust” in the government’s handling of Covid-19.
Boris Johnson is coming under pressure to explain changes to the pattern of appearances by key experts after The Independent reported that chief nurse Ruth May was dropped from a televised briefing when she refused to publicly back lockdown breaches by his top aide Dominic Cummings.
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Mr Raab was the latest minister to appear at the lectern without experts since England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam sparked headlines by saying that lockdown rules “apply to all” when asked about Mr Cummings. Prof Van-Tam has not appeared at the press conferences since 30 May.
The foreign secretary, who read out the latest statistics on infections and death rates (normally presented at the daily briefings by a medic or scientist), denied that experts were being edged out.
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Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute’s silence
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NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.
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Shoppers observe a minute’s silence in Tescos in Shoreham
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Firefighters outside Godstone fire station
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Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute’s silence at University College Hospital in London
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A school children’s poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute’s silence
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A man holds a placard that reads “People’s health before profit” outside St Thomas hospital
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Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute’s silence
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Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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Hospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE
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Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute’s silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus
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Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow
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An NHS worker observes a minute’s silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
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NHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital
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NHS workers hold a minute’s silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital
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NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute’s silence
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People applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers
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Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall
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A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh to observe a minute’s silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence
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Police officers observe a minutes silence at Guy’s Hospital
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A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall
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NHS workers during a minute’s silence outside Glenfield Hospital
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Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
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Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute’s silence
PA
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NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.
PA
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Shoppers observe a minute’s silence in Tescos in Shoreham
Getty
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Firefighters outside Godstone fire station
PA
6/30 Salford Royal Hospital
Getty
7/30 Salford Royal Hospital
PA
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Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute’s silence at University College Hospital in London
AP
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A school children’s poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute’s silence
Getty
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A man holds a placard that reads “People’s health before profit” outside St Thomas hospital
Getty
11/30
Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute’s silence
PA
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Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
13/30 University College Hospital, London
Hospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE
AP
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Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute’s silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus
AP
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Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow
Getty
16/30 London
An NHS worker observes a minute’s silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Reuters
17/30 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London
AFP via Getty
18/30 Belfast, Northern Ireland
NHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital
Reuters
19/30 Plymouth
NHS workers hold a minute’s silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital
Getty
20/30
NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute’s silence
Getty
21/30 Mater Infirmorum Hospital
People applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers
Reuters
22/30 Waterloo Station, London
AP
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Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall
PA
24/30
A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh to observe a minute’s silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
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Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence
PA
27/30 London
Police officers observe a minutes silence at Guy’s Hospital
Reuters
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A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
29/30 Royal Derby Hospital
PA
30/30 Leicester,
NHS workers during a minute’s silence outside Glenfield Hospital
Getty
“In terms of presence at these press conferences, scientists and the chief and deputy medical officers will continue to come and attend these press conferences.
“I think it is also true to say that as we go down the road map and start to talk about the changes we are making, whether it is to business, schools or other areas, we will also bring other independent experts along and make sure we can answer the full range of questions that people have.”
He added: “You are right to say the scientists and the medical adviser are important.
“They will continue to attend these press conferences, perhaps not on a daily basis – they’ve got a huge amount of other work to do – and undoubtedly the politicians need to answer the judgment calls we make based on the evolving science.”
His comments came amid reports that some scientists are wary of becoming the “fall guys” for politicians in any inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sir Ed Davey said: “The idea that senior experts in government are too busy to answer questions from the public and media is risible.
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“The Conservatives are deliberately turning away from expert advice and, in doing so, dismantling any trust people have in this government.”
Asked about reports that Ms May was dropped from a coronavirus briefing, Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson referred reporters back to the comments of transport secretary Grant Shapps, who said last Friday that he “didn’t think” this was the case.
The spokesperson said that “to the best of my knowledge”, The Independent’s report – based on the testimony of two senior NHS sources – was not true. But he was unable to point to any specific inaccuracies.
Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said he had received no response to a letter he wrote last week to Mr Johnson demanding an explanation for the “sporadic and unpredictable” appearances of expert officials including chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance since Mr Cummings was revealed to have broken lockdown by driving his family to Durham when he believed he and his wife had coronavirus.
But Mr Johnson’s spokesperson said that both Prof Whitty and Sir Patrick had appeared at a press conference last week, adding that other recent televised briefings had featured other prominent medical figures.
The PM’s spokesperson said the chief nurse “may well” appear again at the No 10 briefings and pointed to a message featuring her on the official Downing Street Twitter feed.
Munira Wilson, Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, has also written to the health secretary to demand an explanation.
Following Mr Raab’s comments, Ms Wilson said: “The image of the foreign secretary standing alone at the press conference was stark.
“We have seen over the past week a deliberate move away from expert advice and transparency at the daily press conferences.
“It is absolutely crucial that people have faith in the government through their handling of the coronavirus crisis, particularly as the lockdown is eased and people come into more contact with each other.”
