Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquiry, has pressed Sir Chris hard on the suggestion that he was in favour of delaying the first national lockdown in March 2020, but Sir Chris is deadbatting everything Mr Keith throws at him, writes Associate Editor Gordon Rayner.
On Monday Sir Patrick Vallance, the former chief scientific adviser, told the Covid Inquiry that he and Sir Chris had disagreed over the speed with which restrictions on liberty should be introduced, describing him as “a delayer” in his private diary.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Sage advisory committee, had previously claimed there was “palpable tension” between the two men.
But Sir Chris, in the deadpan delivery so familiar from dozens of Covid-era press conferences, has let the air out of that balloon.
Sir Jeremy, he said, “had a book to sell, and that made it more exciting”.
He described his differences with Sir Patrick as small, and likened his warnings about the adverse consequences of lockdown to a surgeon having a duty to explain to a patient the possible risks of surgery even when surgery was the right option for them.
“With the benefit of hindsight, we went too late” with lockdown, he added for good measure.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
