Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme “obviously” had an effect on Covid transmission, the former government chief scientific adviser admitted.
Giving evidence at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Sir Patrick said of the scheme: “It’s quite likely that had an effect on transmission.
“In fact it’s very difficult to see how it wouldn’t have had an effect on transmission and that would have been the advice that was given, had we been asked beforehand.”
Asked whether Mr Sunak would have been aware of the risks, Sir Patrick added: “I think it would have been very obvious to anyone that this was likely to cause an issue that inevitably would cause an increase in transmission risk.”
Earlier, Sir Patrick said Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” by scientific advice during the pandemic, repeatedly forgetting things he had been told just hours earlier, Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries reveal.
The former chief scientific adviser wrote comments about the PM during the pandemic such as “watching him get his head around stats is awful”.
Sir Patrick – abuse was very real during pandemic
Abuse was “very real” for scientific advisors working alongside the government during the pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance said, Zander Butler reports.
Responding to a question from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s chair Baroness Hallett, Sir Patrick insisted abuse was widespread despite not being a minister.
In one case, Sir Patrick’s colleague professor Chris Whitty was accosted while walking through a central London park after being recognised from Covid press conferences broadcast on TV.
Jonathan Chew, 24, and Lewis Hughes, 24, approached England’s chief medical officer in St James’s Park in June 2021 and grabbed hold of him and shouted in his face.
‘Unhelpful’ when Covid press conferences became political, Sir Patrick Vallance
Sir Patrick Vallance has said it was “unhelpful” when Covid press conferences became overtly political, but that he was willing to publicly disagree with ministers, Archie Mitchell reports.
The former chief scientific adviser said it “worked best” when ministers or prime minister Boris Johnson would handle political questions.
And he said there were occasions when he and Sir Chris Whitty disagreed with government decisions from the podium.
“For example, in the move from the two metre rule to a lower figure, I was clear on the podium two metres is safer than one metre, full stop,” he said.
Scientists had to work ‘doubly hard’ to be heard by No 10
Asked by inquiry counsel Andrew O’Connor KC if there were times he felt he was not being asked for advice in good faith, Sir Patrick said: “I think there were definitely periods when it was clear that the unwelcome advice we were giving was, as expected, not loved.
“And that meant we had to work doubly hard to make sure that the science evidence and advice was being properly heard.
“Now, it doesn’t surprise me that there were meetings that we were not included in, that’s normal.
“We were, as I said, in No 10 probably for 45 minutes or an hour, and there were things going on all day and political decisions as well, so it’s not surprising that we were not invited to things sometimes.
“And there it definitely is the case that there were times when because we were giving unpalatable evidence and advice.”
Scientists had to work “doubly hard” to ensure their advice was heard during the pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance has told the Covid-19 inquiry.
Sunak must have understood Eat Out to Help Out carried risk, inquiry hears
The Covid inquiry has hit out at “inconsistency” in Rishi Sunak’s witness statement, in which he claims scientific advisers did not express concerns about his Eat Out to Help Out scheme, Archie Mitchell reports.
In the former chancellor’s statement, he said: “I don’t recall any concerns about the scheme during ministerial discussions, including those attended by the CMO [Chris Whitty] or CSA [Sir Patrick Vallance].”
Inquiry counsel Andrew O’Connor KC told Sir Patrick there was a “certain inconsistency” between Mr Sunak’s claim and Sir Patrick’s, who has said he was not consulted on the policy until it was announced.
Sir Patrick said: “I think it would have been very obvious to anyone that this inevitably would cause an increase in transmission risk.
“And I think that would have been known by ministers.
“I would be very surprised if any minister did not understand that these openings carried risk.”
Sir Patrick Vallance: ‘We didn’t know about Eat Out to Help Out until it was announced’
Sir Patrick Vallance said scientific advisors did not know about Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out policy until it was announced, Archie Mitchell reports.
The former chief scientific advisor said he was “not involved at the inception” of the hospitality scheme.
“Our advice would have been very clear on that,” Sir Patrick said.
Sir Patrick told the inquiry: “Up until that point, the message had been very clear that interaction between different households and people that you weren’t living with in an enclosed environment with many others was a high risk activity.
“That policy completely reversed it to saying we will pay you to go into an environment with people from other households and mix in an indoor environment for periods extended over a couple of hours or more.”
He added: “It’s very difficult to see how it wouldn’t have had an effect on transmission.”
Rishi Sunak said Covid was about ‘handling scientists, not handling the virus’
Rishi Sunak said Covid was about “handling the scientists, not handling the virus”, Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries revealed, Archie Mitchell reports.
In an extract shown to the Covid inquiry, Sir Patrick recalled an economic meeting in July 2020 at which ministers did not know chief medical officer Chris Whitty was present. “The chancellor said ‘it is all about handling the scientists, not handling the virus,” he wrote.
It came after Sir Patrick’s diaries also revealed that Boris Johnson’s Downing Street were “pushing very hard and want the science altered” ahead of the reopening of clubs and bars.
And Sir Patrick fumed after a meeting in June that “nobody in No10 or the Cabinet Office had really read or taken the time to understand the science advice” on social distancing.
Ministers avoided Sage because the committee’s minutes were published
Ministers regularly declined to ask the Sage emergency group for advice for fear of their questions being made public, the Covid inquiry has heard, Archie Mitchell reports.
Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries show top officials including then education secretary Gavin Williamson made comments such as “don’t ask Sage as minutes get published”.
Boris Johnson: ‘We are too s*** as a species to get act together’
Boris Johnson said humans could be “licked as a species” and were “too s*** to get our act together” during the pandemic, the chief scientific adviser said, Archie Mitchell reports.
In his diaries, Sir Patrick Vallance said that in September 2020 the former PM was “distressed” at the spectre of people wearing masks at the Battle of Britain memorial service.
His diaries recall Mr Johnson saying it was “mad and spooky” and “we’ve got to end it”.
After questioning the number of Covid cases and “whether they really translate into deaths”, Sir Patrick’s diaries reveal Mr Johnson said: “Is it because of the great libertarian nation we are that it spreads so much?
“Maybe we are licked as a species… we are too s*** to get our act together.”
Boris Johnson said Covid ‘followed the natural pattern despite what you do’
Boris Johnson stunned a meeting of advisers by claiming the Covid pandemic would spread the same “despite what you do”, Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries claim, Archie Mitchell reports.
The former chief scientific adviser said there was “incredulity in the room” after Mr Johnson made the claim.
The former prime minister said: “Is the whole thing a mirage? The curves just follow a natural pattern despite what you do.”
Sir Patrick recalled that Mr Johnson did “not look like a man enjoying his role”.
Boris Johnson was ‘bamboozled’ by the pandemic, Vallance diaries reveal
Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” by scientific advice during the pandemic, repeatedly forgetting things he had been told just hours earlier, Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries reveal, Archie Mitchell reports.
The former chief scientific adviser wrote comments about the PM during the pandemic such as “watching him get his head around stats is awful”.
He also said: “Late afternoon meeting with PM on schools. My God this is complicated and models will not provide the answer. PM is clearly bamboozled.”
At another meeting, Sir Patrick said Mr Johnson asked Clare Gardiner from the Joint Biosecurity Centre “which line is the dark red one”. “Is he colour blind,” Sir Patrick wrote.
