{"id":120643,"date":"2023-11-21T15:39:34","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:39:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogcamlodipine.com\/?p=120643"},"modified":"2023-11-21T15:39:34","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:39:34","slug":"chris-whitty-offers-defence-of-chaotic-boris-at-covid-inquiry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogcamlodipine.com\/politics\/chris-whitty-offers-defence-of-chaotic-boris-at-covid-inquiry\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Whitty offers defence of \u2018chaotic\u2019 Boris at Covid Inquiry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chris Whitty argues Covid was chaotic in all governments<\/h3>\n

Sir Chris Whitty took a more diplomatic approach to other witnesses at today\u2019s Covid inquiry, emphasising the struggles all Governments faced at the outset of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Taking to the stand, the Chief Medical Officer conceded that Boris Johnson\u2019s decision-making in 2020 had been \u201cquite often chaotic\u201d.<\/p>\n

However the top medical boffin put up a more balanced defence than other inquiry witnesses, arguing: \u201cI\u2019d be very doubtful if it wasn\u2019t chaotic in multiple other governments.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact that\u2019s what our fellow advisors from other countries said in many other environments – that this was difficult for every country, being faced by extraordinary circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

He praised the civil service, but described the political advisers and system around Mr Johnson as \u201cmore mixed\u201d.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: <\/strong> Rishi Sunak accused of scathing ‘four word statement’ in lockdown row<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sir Chris shied away from some of the more headline-grabbing confessions of those at the heart of the Government\u2019s decision-making during the pandemic, such as Sir Patrick Vallance and Dominic Cummings.<\/p>\n

He said that \u201cwith the benefit of hindsight\u201d the first lockdown in March 2020 was \u201ca bit too late\u201d, however denied the private judgement of Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance that he was a \u201cdelayer\u201d.<\/p>\n

According to Sir Patrick\u2019s evidence yesterday, the pair disagreed about the speed at which lockdown should have come in, with the diary of SAGE member Sir Jeremy Farrar recording a \u201cpalpable tension between Patrick and Chris in the early weeks of 2020\u201d.<\/p>\n

A diary entry from Sir Patrick in February 2021 claimed Sir Chris had pondered whether lockdown had come in too late in March 2020: \u201c(he was the delayer of course)\u201d.<\/p>\n

Asked about the tensions, Sir Chris said he did have a \u201cstronger concern than some\u201d that the \u201cbiggest impacts\u201d of measures, such as lockdown, would be felt more by those living in deprivation or those who lived alone.<\/p>\n

He argued there was a need to balance the risks of going too early versus too late.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThe idea that you could go without cost earlier than was needed was wrong\u2026 I was probably further to \u2018let\u2019s think through the disadvantages before we act\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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