Coronavirus: Scientific experts advising govt criticise Boris Johnson after he backed Dominic Cummings
Written by News on 25/05/2020
Scientists who have been advising the government during the coronavirus crisis have accused the prime minister of “trashing” the advice they have given to help curb the outbreak.
Members of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) hit out at Boris Johnson, after he backed Dominic Cummings’ decision to travel 260 miles to his parents’ house in the North East during lockdown.
SPI-B feeds analysis and advice to the scientists on the government’s emergency panel SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies).
Professor Stephen Reicher, a member of the SPI-B, wrote on Twitter: “As one of those involved in SPI-B, the government advisory group on behavioural science, I can say that in a few short minutes tonight, Boris Johnson has trashed all the advice we have given on how to build trust and secure adherence to the measures necessary to control COVID-19.
“Be open and honest, we said. Trashed. Respect the public, we said. Trashed. Ensure equity, so everyone is treated the same, we said. Trashed. Be consistent we said. Trashed. Make clear ‘we are all in it together’. Trashed.”
He added: “It is very hard to provide scientific advice to a government which doesn’t want to listen to science. I hope, however, that the public will read our papers (publicly available) and continue to make up for this bad government with their own good sense.”
Two other SPI-B members and health psychologists – University College of London professors Robert West and Susan Michie – backed the comments.
Prof West said it was imperative the public did not abandon social distancing despite the exceptions made for the PM’s chief aide.
“The key thing we need to remember is that the reason for the lockdown is not for the sake of people like Dominic Cummings or the prime minister, it is for our friends and families’ sake so the rules are really, really important,” he said.
Prof Michie called for Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, to give his own briefings independently from the cabinet in the future.
She wrote: “I hope that @CMO_England @uksciencechief & colleagues will in future give their own scientific briefings to the British public unencumbered by distrust of @BorisJohnson & co. Never thought I’d say this but don’t want science to be dragged down by association with dishonesty.”
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The row over Mr Cummings’ trip to Durham for childcare reasons in late March erupted on Friday evening following two newspaper investigations.
Number 10 said the aide travelled to be near his family in the North East, as he feared there would be no one to look after his four-year-old son if he and his wife became ill with coronavirus at the same time.
Despite widespread calls for Mr Cummings’ sacking, the prime minister has stuck by him, saying during a press briefing on Sunday that his aide had acted with “integrity”.
(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Scientific experts advising govt criticise Boris Johnson after he backed Dominic Cummings
