Conflict of interest row as it emerges Chief Scientific Officer Sir Patrick Vallance has £600,000 of shares in vaccine maker contracted to make UK’s coronavirus jabs Sir Patrick was president of multinationals drugs giant GSK from 2012 to 2018 Chief Scientific Adviser holds a deferred bonus of 43,111 shares worth £600,000 He has already cashed in … Read more
Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty faced backlash asked for help to ‘calm down’ angry academics after facing furious backlash over the ‘herd immunity’ strategy proposed in March, emails show. The top experts, who’ve been steering Britain through the Covid-19 crisis, were hounded by fellow scientists for comments they made about the controversial strategy at the start … Read more
Boris Johnson will unveil a major crackdown on normal life today in a bid to halt a second wave of coronavirus. He will drop his ‘back to work’ drive, announce restrictions on socialising and impose a 10pm curfew on bars and restaurants from Thursday. Pubs and other venues will be allowed to serve seated customers … Read more
1. GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur: 60million doses The Government revealed on July 29 it had signed a deal with pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi Pasteur If the vaccine proves successful, the UK could begin to vaccinate priority groups, such as frontline health and social care workers and those at increased risk from coronavirus, as early … Read more
So where were Sir Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty? No10 scientific advisers are notably absent as Boris Johnson gives latest Covid address – hours after SAGE chief snubbed PM’s return-to-work plea The experts have become familiar faces at Number 10 podium during the crisis Instead, Mr Johnson was joined by NHS test and trace chief … Read more
‘There is NO reason to stop working from home’: Boris’s own science chief torpedoes PM’s efforts to get Brits back to the office, says lockdown should have been a WEEK earlier and says government ‘made mistakes’ Sir Patrick Vallance said ‘absolutely no reason’ to change work from home rules Sir Patrick said that UK ‘still … Read more
Vallance goes rogue: Boris’s own science chief torpedoes PM’s efforts to get Brits back to the office saying there is ‘absolutely no reason’ to stop working from home – and says lockdown should have happened a WEEK earlier – in astonishing intervention Sir Patrick Vallance said ‘absolutely no reason’ to change work from home rules … Read more
Senior ministers fear the top scientists advising the Government could quit over plans to ease the two-metre rule. Professor Chris Whitty, the popular Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance have made it clear they believe the current guidance on safe distancing should stay. But Boris Johnson will tomorrow pave the way for … Read more
The chair of the government’s Sage board has said it is for the government to decide when to ease lockdown measures, after one professor on the advisory panel claimed there was a risk to changing the rules now. Sir Patrick Vallance, who heads up the advisory board of scientists guiding the government through this pandemic, … Read more
The Government’s two most senior science and health advisers tonight insisted they ‘don’t want to get involved’ in the Dominic Cummings lockdown row as Boris Johnson said he intended to ‘draw a line under it’. Durham Police today said Mr Cummings’ 260-mile trip to the city did not break lockdown rules while a 60-mile jaunt to … Read more