Downing Street is to scrap ministerial coronavirus briefings at the weekend, blaming poor TV viewing figures.
The move comes after ministers were blasted by the UK’s statistics watchdog for “misleading” use of figures on Cover-19 testing at the daily briefings.
Downing Street said that prime minister Boris Johnson will commit to appearing once a week in the new five-a-week schedule of press conferences to give statements and answer questions from the media and members of the public alongside scientific and medical advisers.
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Asked why the briefings were being cut back from seven to five a week, with none on Saturday or Sunday starting this weekend, Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said: “It is just a fact that there numbers viewing at weekends do tend to be significantly lower.”
However, questions are certain to be raised about the government’s commitment to transparency after a number of briefings produced negative headlines over breaches of lockdown by Mr Johnson’s aide Dominic Cummings and problems with the deployment of the new test-and-trace system and delays to the app to track contacts of Covid-19 patients.
The sequence of daily updates from Downing Street on the progress of the fight against coronavirus began on 16 March, with the first few held in front of an audience of reporters inside No 10.
However, they quickly switched to a virtual format after the introduction of social distancing rules, with questions asked via video-link.They have made national figures of backroom advisers like chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.
After hosting a number of the briefings himself – and famously stating at one that he was continuing to shake hands, even when visiting a hospital with coronavirus cases – Mr Johnson stepped back after being diagnosed with Covid-19. Later briefings have seen cabinet ministers including Matt Hancock, Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel and Alok Sharma take to the lectern.
Announcing the move to five-a-week briefings, Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “We will carry on doing the press conferences on weekdays and ministers will also continue to provide regular updates to parliament and conduct a wide range of media interviews.
“The PM will do a press conference every week. It’s possible he could do more.
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“We are absolutely committed to keeping people updated and we will be continuing to do this through regular press conferences, also through information campaigns, media interviews and parliamentary updates.”
Asked whether the change reflected a new approach to the crisis as numbers of cases move downwards, the spokesman said: “We have moved into a new phase of the pandemic response. We’ve obviously taken some cautious steps, easing social distancing measures. Schools are now open to more pupils and you are seeing a careful easing in the rules around social contact and also some aspects of non-essential retail have reopened.
“We are moving into a different phase of the response, but in terms of the pandemic and the government’s response, it continues to be the absolute priority for every department across Whitehall.”
