Top Government scientist called Rishi Sunak ‘Dr Death’ after Eat Out To Help Out, Covid inquiry hears
One of the Government’s top scientists referred to Rishi Sunak as “Dr Death” in the wake of the Eat Out To Help Out scheme at the height of the pandemic, the Covid inquiry has heard.
Dame Angela McLean, who is now the Prime Minister’s chief scientific adviser, referred to “Dr Death the Chancellor” in a WhatsApp group of scientists in September 2020.
The inquiry has heard previously how senior government scientists, including Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty, believed the 50 per cent discount dining scheme in August 2020, designed by the then chancellor to boost the hospitality sector in the wake of lockdown, risked fuelling Covid cases.
Sir Patrick’s personal diaries revealed how he and Professor Whitty, at the time the two most senior scientific advisers in Boris Johnson’s government, were not consulted in advance on Mr Sunak’s scheme and would have advised against it if they had been, the inquiry has previously heard.
The WhatsApps were shown to Lady Hallett’s inquiry during evidence from another scientist, Professor Carl Heneghan, who was a vocal critic of the Government over lockdowns.
In the same exchange, Dame Angela, who at the time was scientific adviser for the Ministry of Defence, refers to Professor Heneghan as a “f***wit”.
Naomi Fulop, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said: “This inquiry has made clear that there was absolutely no consultation with the Government’s scientific advisers on Eat Out to Help Out, that it contributed to the loss of thousands of lives, put unnecessary pressure on the NHS and plunged the country into a brutal second lockdown.
“It’s unbearable to think that if it weren’t for Rishi Sunak’s reckless, unscientific and callous approach, my Mum might still be with me. When our current Chief Scientific Adviser has referred to our Prime Minister as ‘Dr Death’, how can any of us have faith in our Government if another pandemic strikes?”
