Is Boris Johnson still following the science?

A cabinet minister once said the British people ‘have had enough of experts’. Now, writes Sean O'Grady, it appears the government has too

Chris Whitty, Boris Johnson and Patrick Vallance deliver a press conference on coronavirus at the start of the pandemic (Getty)

The phrase “guided by the science”, or some close variation, was the constant refrain of ministers at the start of the coronavirus crisis. The parroting of the line was reflexive, almost comical.  Even though there was never any such monolithic thing as “the science”, the idea was to reassure the public that lives and health (and not money) were being put first – hence the original Covid campaign slogan, “Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives”. 

The daily Downing Street press conferences would normally find a politician flanked by a couple of public health experts. Boris Johnson would usually appear in the distinguished company of Sir Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser to the government, and Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England. Parallel arrangements were made in the devolved administrations. The idea was to stress how closely political leaders were being guided by scientific expert advice.

Not so much now, however. There is some suggestion that neither the “rule of six” nor the new 10pm lockdown for pubs and restaurants has been modelled by the experts, including behavioural experts, to see whether the various measures now in place will actually reduce the R infection rate sufficiently to bring the spread of the virus under control.