Coronavirus: Government’s chief scientific adviser given 'telling off' for early lockdown plea

Patrick Vallance said he ‘argued stronger than anyone’ for restrictions on social contacts

Dr Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser (Artificial Intelligence / YouTube)

The government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance has said he was given “a telling off” for arguing for lockdown restrictions to be imposed more quickly earlier this year.

In an email uncovered by a BBC Freedom of Information request, Sir Patrick said that in behind-closed-doors discussions within government in March he “argued stronger than anyone for action on lockdown”.

But he said he was rebuked by chief medical officer Chris Whitty, Department of Health (DHSC) permanent secretary Sir Chris World and the government’s top civil servant, the then cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill.

Sir Patrick has previously told MPs that on 16 March, the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), which he chairs, advised the prime minister that  "additional social-distancing measures" should be implemented "as soon as possible".

The government issued advice that day against unnecessary social contact and travel, including warnings to avoid pubs, bars and restaurants.

But it was not until 20 March that hospitality venues were ordered to close and 23 March before the full lockdown was imposed requiring people not to leave their homes unless essential.

At a press conference with the PM on 16 March to announced the first measures, Sir Patrick said:  “Importantly, it looks like we’re on the fast upswing or just about to get there and that’s the reason to want to get in quite quickly with these measures.”

Statistics suggest that Covid-19 infections were growing at their fastest rate at that point, and some experts believe that an earlier lockdown could have saved lives.

The email obtained by the BBC appears to be part of a discussion with other scientific advisers of a Sunday Times article in May criticising delays in imposing lockdown.

In the message, dated 23 May, Sir Patrick said: “It is … the case that I argued stronger than anyone for action for lockdown (with a telling off from CMO, PS DHSC and CabSec).

A spokesman for prime minister Boris Johnson declined to discuss the email, but told reporters: “We were very clear at the time that the steps we were taking were guided by scientific and medical advice.”