Covid inquiry live updates: Rishi Sunak thought it was okay to let people die, Dominic Cummings claims

Former chancellor Rishi Sunak thought “just let people die and that’s okay” during the pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries reveal.

Giving evidence at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Sir Patrick said he made a note of what former chief advisor Dominic Cummings told him Mr Sunak said during a meeting in October 2020.

Earlier, Sir Patrick admitted Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme “obviously” had an effect on increased Covid transmissions.

He said: “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.”

Sir Patrick also said Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” by scientific advice during the pandemic, repeatedly forgetting things he had been told just hours earlier.

Key Points

• Boris Johnson was ‘bamboozled' by the pandemic

• Sir Patrick Vallance set to testify in front of Covid inquiry

• Boris Johnson described Treasury as ‘pro-death squad’, diaries reveal

• Round-up: The winners and losers of the inquiry so far

Whitty: Would have been ‘wrong’ to narrow focus of whole medical profession to Covid

11:17 , Matt Mathers

England’s chief medical officer has said it would have been "wrong" to narrow the focus of the whole medical profession to Covid-19 in early 2020.

Professor Sir Chris Whitty told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that by early February that year a "great majority" of his work and his team’s work was around the new virus.

"We were putting a large amount of time into communicating it, putting resources into it, trying to get the medical profession ready for it," he said.

"At a point where, in my view, we were moving increasingly far away from a probability this could go back to nothing.

"But we weren’t yet at a point where we could say that definitively - we were still a long way away from, for example, the WHO declaring a pandemic. And as I say, we did not at this stage, and did not for some time in fact, have internal transmission."

Sir Chris added that it is "important to recognise that it would have been wrong to swing the whole of the medical profession over to this".

"Even at the height of the pandemic more people died of causes not Covid than died of Covid," he said. "Every one of those deaths is tragic on both of those sides."

Cabinet secretary Simon Case could miss Covid inquiry evidence again due to illness

11:00 , Matt Mathers

Britain’s top civil servant may not give evidence to the Covid inquiry in the coming weeks as planned due to an ongoing illness.

Cabinet secretary Simon Case, who was permanent secretary in Downing Street during the pandemic, is on medical leave from his current role.

Full report:

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case could miss Covid inquiry again due to illness

Whitty’s gallows humour shown to the inquiry

10:55 , Matt Mathers

Chris Whitty said in the early stages of the pandemic that one of two things was going to happen, Archie Mitchell reports.

“Either I will be with Susan and a few of our other colleagues in front of the committee or inquiry explaining why it is that we failed to prepared adequately for this armageddon (which actually would not be an armageddon) or we will be sitting in front of the committee saying why did you spend all this money on an epidemic which never happened,” he said in March 2020.

“I have got my script prepared,” he added.

Sir Chris Whitty: I was not a delayer

10:50 , Matt Mathers

Sir Chris Whitty has rejected a description of him as a “delayer” in the early stages of the pandemic, saying that he warned of “very serious” consequences without action to tackle Covid, Archie Mitchell reports.

The chief medical officer told the inquiry that while he did not push back on lockdowns, he did think “the downside of those actions should be made transparent”.

Sir Chris said he ”rejected and will continue to reject” suggestions he warned ministers against overreacting to the pandemic.

Whitty: Friction between me and Vallance was oversold

10:39 , Matt Mathers

Sir Chris Whitty has said Sir Jeremy Farrar “had a book to sell”, brushing off claims of a rift between himself and Sir Patrick Vallance, Archie Mitchell reports.

The chief medical officer told the Covid inquiry that Sir Jeremy’s claims, that there was “friction” between him and the former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick, “made it more exciting”.

“My own view was that the differences were extremely small,” Sir Chris said.

Sir Jeremy’s book, Spike: The Virus Vs. The People, described friction between advisers about when to impose lockdown restrictions in 2020.

Proffessor Sir Chris Whitty giving evidence

10:22 , Matt Mathers

Professor Sir Chris Whitty is now giving evidence to the inquiry.

We’ll bring you updates throughout the session.

You can also watch it live on our YouTube channel:

Live: Chief medical officer Chris Whitty gives evidence to Britain’s Covid inquiry

ICYMI: Boris Johnson was ‘bamboozled’ by science during the pandemic, Patrick Vallance reveals

09:36 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” by the science during the pandemic and had to have details explained to him “repeatedly”, the Covid inquiry has heard.

Sir Patrick Vallance’s bombshell diary entries revealed in excruciating detail how the former prime minister struggled to understand graphs and “just could not get” some scientific concepts.

Boris was ‘bamboozled’ by science, ex-chief adviser tells Covid inquiry

Whitty arrives at inquiry

09:05 , Matt Mathers

Professor Sir Chris Whitty has arrived for his appearance in front of the inquiry later this morning.

England’s chief medical officer was seen entering Dorland House a little earlier, dressed in dark suit.

He will take the stand at 10am.

Full report: Rishi Sunak thought government should ‘let people die’, Covid inquiry told in bombshell claim

08:53 , Matt Mathers

As we reported earlier, Rishi Sunak has been accused of saying the government should “let people die” during the Covid pandemic.

The accusation, made by former chief of staff Dominic Cummings, was documented in Sir Patrick Vallance’s diary. The former chief scientific adviser made the note following a “shambolic” meeting about Covid restrictions in October 2020.

Here is the full report:

Rishi Sunak thought government should ‘let people die’, Covid inquiry told

Sir Patrick faced threats to his family and considered resigning

08:38 , Matt Mathers

In a 241-page witness statement to the inquiry, published on Monday, Sir Patrick revealed that he received threats and abuse during the pandemic.

The former government science adviser told the inquiry he considered resigning and that he “certainly found the pressure” on himself and his family “difficult”.

“Like many others I received abuse and threats and I was concerned for the wellbeing and safety of my family,” he said. “At times those factors did lead me to question whether I should continue.

“I also found people breaking the lockdown rules very difficult and considered what I should do in response, but decided that I would help most by continuing with my job.”

Minister dodges questions on Sunak’s alleged ‘let people die’ comment

08:11 , Matt Mathers

A government minister dodged questions about Rishi Sunak’s alleged “let people die” comment during the Covid pandemic.

Laura Trott, chief secretary to the Treasury, was asked about the accusation, made by Dominic Cummings and revealed in yesterday’s evidence, in an interview with Sky News this morning

Ms Trott said she was a backbencher at the time the alleged remark was made, adding: “What I saw during Covid was a government trying to save both lives and livelihoods”.

More comments below:

07:41 , Matt Mathers

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Covid inquiry.

Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, will give evidence today in a highly anticipated appearance.

He will take the stand from 10am, when we’ll have live updates.

Until then, we’ll bring you all the highlights from yesterday’s session with Sir Patrick Vallance, the former government science adviser.

Rishi Sunak to blame for deaths, Caroline Lucas claims

05:30 , Alexander Butler

Prime minister Rishi Sunak is to blame for excessive deaths during the pandemic, former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas said.

“Confirmed by Sir Patrick Vallance at the Covid Inquiry today - Rishi Sunak’s grossly irresponsible Eat Out To Help Out scheme drove a second wave of Covid. He is to blame for the damage caused. He needs to be held accountable,” Ms Lucas wrote on X.

Covid ‘fed off inequality’, Vallance says

04:30 , Alexander Butler

Sir Patrick Vallance said he was “aware” the pandemic and the measures required to tackle it would have an unequal impact.

He says he stands by his witness statement which says that the virus “fed off inequality and drove inequality”.

Pressed on whether this knowledge formed part of the advice given at senior decision-making levels, Vallance can’t recall exactly how early he drew attention to this.

But, he says he thinks it was “pretty early on” - and that Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, did the same.

Boris Johnson was ‘bamboozled’ by science during the pandemic, Patrick Vallance reveals

03:30 , Alexander Butler

Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” by the science during the pandemic and had to have details explained to him “repeatedly”, the Covid inquiry has heard.

Sir Patrick Vallance’s bombshell diary entries revealed in excruciating detail how the former prime minister struggled to understand graphs and “just could not get” some scientific concepts.

The former chief scientific adviser – one of the government’s most senior advisers during the pandemic – told the inquiry about how he kept daily notes as a “brain dump” to help him “decompress” — and never intended them to “see the light of day”.

Boris was ‘bamboozled’ by science, ex-chief adviser tells Covid inquiry

Rishi Sunak was ‘not pleased’ at early prospect of London lockdow

02:30 , Alexander Butler

Rishi Sunak was not “terribly pleased” with the prospect of imposing a lockdown in London during the early stages of the pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance has told the Covid-19 Inquiry.

Giving evidence on Monday, the Government’s former chief scientific adviser discussed meetings with ministers during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020.

Sir Patrick said emerging evidence of the scale of infections in London meant the capital “needed more” restrictions than other parts of the country.

Rishi Sunak was ‘not pleased’ at early prospect of London lockdown

Sunak suggested ‘handling the scientists’ and not virus, Covid probe is told

01:30 , Alexander Butler

Rishi Sunak was overheard saying the Government should focus on handling its scientific advisers rather than the spread of Covid-19, the inquiry into the UK’s pandemic response has been told.

A series of diary entries from former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance was shown to the probe on Monday.

Mr Sunak’s comment was allegedly made in July 2020 as plans were being made to reopen the country after the first national lockdown.

Sunak suggested ‘handling the scientists’ and not virus, Covid probe is told

Treasury accused of ‘pure dogma’ by Patrick Vallance in pandemic notes

00:30 , Alexander Butler

Sir Patrick Vallance criticised the Treasury in private notes written during the pandemic, accusing it of “pure dogma”.

The Government’s former chief scientific adviser admitted his comments in October 2021 were probably made late at night in “frustration”, but said there was a lack of transparency on analysis of Covid-19’s impact on the economy.

The entry said: “Economic predictions. HMT (the Treasury) saying economy nearly back to normal and Plan B would cost £18 billion.

“No evidence, no transparency, pure dogma and wrong throughout.”

Treasury accused of ‘pure dogma’ by Patrick Vallance in pandemic notes

Johnson and Sunak were happy to let people die from Covid, inquiry hears

Monday 20 November 2023 23:30 , Alexander Butler

Boris Johnson wanted to let Covid “rip” despite the fact people would die, while Rishi Sunak also thought that was “okay”, the public inquiry has heard.

In further revelations from Sir Patrick Vallance’s pandemic diaries, the inquiry heard of the “shambolic” day on October 25 2020, when the country was heading towards a second national lockdown.

The diary entry highlights how the former prime minister wanted to let the virus spread, while his most senior adviser, Dominic Cummings (DC), suggested Mr Sunak, then chancellor, also thought it was “okay” to just let people die.

Johnson and Sunak were happy to let people die from Covid, inquiry hears

No basis for the ‘rule of six’, Vallance admits

Monday 20 November 2023 22:30 , Alexander Butler

Sir Patrick Vallance has admitted there was no basis for the rule of six.

He said: “On the rule of six we were pretty clear that we didn’t actually think that had an enormous basis in anything.

“Why six? Why not eight? Why not ten? We couldn’t tell anyone which was better or worse.”

Vallance said ministers were as 'meek as mice'

Monday 20 November 2023 21:30 , Alexander Butler

Sir Patrick Vallance described Cabinet ministers as “meek as mice” and accused them of an “abrogation of responsibility” for not imposing recommended measures to curb the spread of Covid.

In an entry in his personal notes dated October 11 2020, the Government’s former chief scientific adviser welcomed being dropped from a press conference in favour of then chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Sir Patrick said: “Good. They need to understand and own the decisions they’re making … being asked to approve the measures, knowing that it’s not enough, gave the example that Bolton worked, but only because hospitality fully closed.

“This is a massive abrogation of responsibility.”

Boris Johnson didn’t want to hear ‘Covid excuse stuff’ about getting children back to school

Monday 20 November 2023 20:30 , Alexander Butler

Boris Johnson said he did not want to hear about this “Covid excuse stuff” when discussing plans to get children back into school, Sir Patrick Vallance revealed.

On August 6, 2020, Sir Patrick Vallance wrote in his notebook: “PM Covid (S) meeting on schools. Don’t want to hear about plan B and C for failure.

“I just want pupils back at school. We are no longer taking this Covid excuse stuff. Get back to school.”

Schools were a ‘complete mess’

Monday 20 November 2023 19:30 , Alexander Butler

Sir Patrick Vallance said schools were a “complete mess” in a diary entry from 3 January 2021, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry heard.

Speaking at the inquiry, Sir Patrick added: “There wasn’t necessarily any allignment between Number 10 and the Department for Education. I was worried schools planning was not under control.”

Sir Patrick also said he made a note of Boris Johnson telling him he thought former education secretary Gavin Williamson’s plans would be “pretty feeble”.

Rishi Sunak suggested ‘handling the scientists’ and not virus

Monday 20 November 2023 18:30 , Alexander Butler

Rishi Sunak was overheard saying the Government should focus on handling its scientific advisers rather than the spread of Covid-19, the inquiry into the UK’s pandemic response has been told.

A series of diary entries from former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance was shown to the probe on Monday.

Mr Sunak’s comment was allegedly made in July 2020 as plans were being made to reopen the country after the first national lockdown.

A note by Sir Patrick on 2 July read: “In the economics meeting earlier today they didn’t realise CMO (chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty) was there and CX (then-chancellor Rishi Sunak) said, ‘It is all about handling the scientists, not handling the virus’.

“They then got flustered when the CMO chipped in later and they realised he had been there all along. PM (then-prime minister Boris Johnson) blustered and waffled for five mins to cover his embarrassment.”

Sir Patrick Vallance lashed out govt ‘wheels on the bus’ shambles

Monday 20 November 2023 16:06 , Matt Mathers

Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries revealed an extraordinary call with top government advisers during the pandemic which paint a picture of the “shambles” in Downing Street, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former chief scientific adviser said somebody was “clearly not on mute” and had a baby crying in the background. In his pandemic diaries, he said: “She then starts singing ‘the wheels on the bus’ - somehow symbolic of the shambles.”

Sir Patrick said he had been dropped from a press conference in favour of then chancellor Rishi Sunak. “Good. They need to understand and own the decisions they are making,” he wrote.

And responding to the government asking him to “approve the measures knowing that it is not enough”, he said the government was guilty of a “massive abrogation of responsibility”.

On the October 2020 call, Sir Patrick recalled Boris Johnson saying the package to be announced was “unlikely” to bring infections back under control.

Vallance: ‘Highly likely’ Eat Out to Help Out killed people

Monday 20 November 2023 15:45 , Matt Mathers

Sir Patrick Vallance has said it is “highly likely” that Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme increased the number of Covid deaths, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former chief scientific adviser, who earlier said he was not told about the policy until it was announced, said he had “no doubt” that ministers would have known it would increase transmission of the virus.

Boris Johnson considered ‘toughing it out and saying there will be deaths’

Monday 20 November 2023 15:35 , Matt Mathers

In the days before the first national lockdown, Boris Johnson considered just “levelling with the public and saying we will toughen it out and tell them there will be deaths”, the Covid inquiry has heard, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former prime minister made the comments at a meeting in March 2020, according to Sir Patrick Vallance’s notes.

Boris Johnson wanted ‘mutually incompatible things’, Simon Case

Monday 20 November 2023 15:21 , Matt Mathers

Simon Case said Boris Johnson wanted “mutually incompatible things” during the pandemic, Sir Patrick’s diaries reveal, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former chief scientific adviser recorded a private conversation in which Mr Johnson’s former permanent secretary made the remark.

It came after the Covid inquiry heard Sir Patrick’s frustration at Mr Johnson changing position from day to day.

The former chief scientific adviser also said Mr Johnson was “influenced a lot by the press”.

He made the comment when describing a diary entry in which he said Mr Johnson was a “weak and indecisive” prime minister.

Asked about the comment, he said it was written in “a late night moment of frustration”. But he added: “I do think that the Prime Minister was influenced a lot by the press.”

Rishi Sunak thought ‘let people die and that’s okay’, Dominic Cummings

Monday 20 November 2023 15:19 , Matt Mathers

Dominic Cummings said Rishi Sunak thought “just let people die and that’s okay” during the pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries reveal, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former chief scientific adviser made the note of what Mr Cummings said during a meeting in October 2020.

Boris Johnson: ‘Old people had a good innings… let it rip’

Monday 20 November 2023 15:13 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson wanted to “let the pandemic rip” in October 2020, accepting that it would lead to more casualties but old people had “had a good innings”, Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries reveal, Archie Mitchell reports.

The bombshell notes detail a meeting with the PM in which he argued for the lifting of restrictions and said most people who die “have reached their time anyway”.

“I really don’t want to do another national lockdown,” Mr Johnson said, according to Sir Patrick’s diaries.

Sir Patrick said: “This all feels like a complete lack of leadership.”

Matt Hancock said things that were not true, Sir Patrick Vallance

Monday 20 November 2023 15:12 , Matt Mathers

Sir Patrick Vallance is the latest top adviser to accuse Matt Hancock of repeatedly saying things that were untrue during the pandemic, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former chief scientific adviser told the Covid inquiry: “He had a habit of saying things which he didn’t have a basis for, and he would say them too enthusiastically too early, without the evidence to back them up and then have to backtrack from them. days later.”

“I don’t know to what extent that was sort of over enthusiasm versus deliberate. I think a lot of it was over and over enthusiasm, but he definitely said things which surprised me because I knew the evidence base, wasn’t there,” he added.

Boris Johnson compared long-Covid to ‘Gulf War Syndrome’

Monday 20 November 2023 15:11 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson was “very sceptical” about long-Covid and compared it to Gulf War Syndrome, Sir Patrick Vallance said in his pandemic diaries, Archie Mitchell reports.

Gulf War syndrome is a medical condition which struck veterans of the 1991 war, with symptoms including fatigue, chronic headaches, and skin and respiratory disorders.

Sir Patrick - abuse was very real during pandemic

Monday 20 November 2023 14:51 , Matt Mathers

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.

Chew later pleaded guilty to a charge of of intending to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

‘Unhelpful’ when Covid press conferences became political, Sir Patrick Vallance

Monday 20 November 2023 14:35 , Archie Mitchell

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

Monday 20 November 2023 14:10 , Alexander Butler

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

Monday 20 November 2023 13:50 , Matt Mathers

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’

Monday 20 November 2023 13:30 , Matt Mathers

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’

Monday 20 November 2023 13:03 , Matt Mathers

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

Monday 20 November 2023 12:56 , Matt Mathers

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’

Monday 20 November 2023 12:36 , Matt Mathers

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’

Monday 20 November 2023 12:34 , Matt Mathers

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

Monday 20 November 2023 12:22 , Matt Mathers

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.

Sir Patrick Vallance: Ministers’ ‘following the science’ mantra was damaging

Monday 20 November 2023 12:17 , Matt Mathers

The government’s suggestion it was “slavishly following the science” and “obeying it at all times” during the pandemic was damaging, Sir Patrick Vallance has said, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former chief scientific adviser said it “pretty quickly” became interpreted as though ministers’ decisions were being led entirely by science.

“Initially, I thought, good, they’re listening to us and they want to hear the science that is the right thing for them to do,” he told the Covid inquiry.

“There is no such thing as ‘the’ science,” Sir Patrick said, adding that the suggestion behind the phrase was “completely wrong”.

Sir Patrick Vallance: ‘We lost control in February half term’

Monday 20 November 2023 11:55 , Matt Mathers

Sir Patrick Vallance has said Britain “lost control” of the pandemic in the February 2020 half term, with a “huge influx from Spain, France and Italy”, Archie Mitchell reports.

The country’s test, trace and isolate system would have “only worked at low levels of prevalence and high capacity in the system”, the former chief scientific adviser said.

“With everything that we had in place or didn’t have in place at the time, I’m afraid that of the sort of ultimate options, trying to lock things down probably was the only route open at that time,” he told the Covid inquiry.

Boris Johnson: ‘My gut tells me Covid will be fine’

Monday 20 November 2023 11:49 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson’s gut was telling him “this will be fine” in the early days of the Covid pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries revealed, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former chief scientific adviser recalled a January 2020 meeting in which he said chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty also said he “thought [Covid] would be contained”.

Patrick Vallance called Chris Whitty a ‘delayer’

Monday 20 November 2023 11:44 , Matt Mathers

Sir Patrick Vallance thought Sir Chris Whitty was a lockdown “delayer” in the early days of the pandemic’s spread, his diaries reveal, Archie Mitchell reports.

The ex-chief scientific adviser said the chief medical officer was “concerned about the adverse effects” of measures such as lockdown.

He told the inquiry: “[Chris Whitty] was concerned that there would be more than just the issue of the direct cause of death from the virus, that there would be indirect causes of death due to effects on the NHS, that there would be indirect harms due to people isolating, mental health, loneliness, issues of health that come from that procedure, and that there will be indirect long term consequences due to the economic impact creating poverty, which is a major driver of health.”

Sir Patrick’s diary from February 2021 said that, when wondering whether lockdown was implemented too late, “[Chris Whitty] was a delayer of course”.

“We should have gone earlier,” Sir Patrick told the inquiry.

Number of acceptable deaths would have been ‘helpful’, Sir Patrick Vallance

Monday 20 November 2023 11:21 , Matt Mathers

Sir Patrick Vallance has said a number of deaths ministers considered acceptable would have been “helpful” in the early days of the pandemic, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former chief scientific adviser told the Covid-19 inquiry said it is a “difficult question” to answer, but it would have been “rather helpful” to have.

“We asked several times to try and define a number and nobody would give that number,” he said.

Sir Patrick said instead that the target was simply to avoid the NHS being overwhelmed while the government did not want to “impose over burdensome restrictions on liberty”.

Valance: I had no intention of using notes for a book

Monday 20 November 2023 10:47 , Matt Mathers

Sir Patrick Vallance has said he had no intention of using the notes he kept during the Covid pandemic for a book or memoir.

He handed over his notes, at the request of the inquiry, despite them containing personal thoughts and reflections.

“I had no intention whatsoever of these ever seeing the light of day”, he said.

Sir Patrick added that he thought “the world had had enough of books of reflections of the people’s thoughts during Covid”.

He described his diaries as a “brain dump” of his “private thoughts” at the end of each day.

Politics Explained | The Covid inquiry’s winners and losers so far

Monday 20 November 2023 10:01 , Andy Gregory

Our associate editor Sean O’Grady writes:

After a slow start, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, also known as the Hallett inquiry after its chair, Baroness Heather Hallett, has been producing some sensational content, as we say these days.

The witness statements from, and cross-examination of, Dominic Cummings and Helen MacNamara have grabbed the headlines and damaged the reputations of many of the players in this “drama” – not least Boris Johnson.

The constant flow of revelations has also been – especially for the Conservatives – an unwelcome reminder of their failings in office during this transcendent crisis. While many voters will have long ago made their minds up about the party and its leadership, the inquiry – which would have only been getting into its stride had the general election been held as expected in the summer of 2023 – will intrude into the world of politics next year and beyond...

You can read his full analysis on the inquiry’s fallout here with Independent Premium:

An unhappy mix of panto and principle: the Covid inquiry so far | Sean O’Grady

Diaries likely to be focus of Sir Patrick Vallance’s testimony

Monday 20 November 2023 09:56 , Andy Gregory

Sir Patrick Vallance is likely to be quizzed on diary entries he has submitted to the Covid inquiry detailing his experiences of advising Boris Johnson’s government during the pandemic.

Those entries have already provided significant insights into the chaos and disagreements within government as political leaders sought to find the best way through the crisis.

They have also offered revelations into how the prime minister and Treasury’s approaches were at times viewed by Sir Patrick. In one extract, Mr Johnson is said to have joked about the Treasury being “the pro-death squad” during the pandemic because it wanted to ease lockdown restrictions quickly:

Boris called the Treasury the ‘pro-death squad’ during Covid pandemic, inquiry hears

Monday 20 November 2023 09:50 , Andy Gregory

Good morning, we’ll be using this blog to provide you with live updates on the Covid inquiry, as former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance gears up for a full day of testimony.

Patrick Vallance says ministers knew ‘following the science’ mantra was damaging

Monday 20 November 2023 17:40 , Alexander Butler

Ministers knew the repeated mantra that the Government was “following the science” during the Covid-19 pandemic was damaging, according to Sir Patrick Vallance.

The Government’s former chief scientific adviser told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry he initially welcomed the use of the phrase as it showed ministers were “listening to us” which “is not always the case in Government”.

But he “pretty quickly” changed his mind due to it being widely interpreted as ministers “slavishly” following science, when science itself is a “moving body of knowledge”.

Patrick Vallance says ministers knew ‘following the science’ mantra was damaging