The country’s top scientists were never informed about the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, despite Boris Johnson saying they were consulted, Sir Chris Whitty has told the pandemic inquiry.
In potentially damaging testimony, Sir Chris said he and Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s former chief scientific adviser, were never told about the plan, adding: “I think we should have been.”
Sir Chris said he raised objections to Number 10 about how it was handled, adding “this was aimed at the centre.”
Earlier this week, Sir Patrick told the inquiry he would be “very surprised” if Rishi Sunak, then chancellor, had not learned about the objections to his plan to help the hospitality industry.
In evidence submitted to the inquiry, Mr Sunak said he “(did) not recall any concerns about the scheme”.
Under questioning from Hugo Keith KC, lead counsel to the inquiry, on Wednesday, Sir Chris said: “My written statement makes clear there was no consultation.”
Mr Keith said: “I need to put to you that in his witness statement, Boris Johnson says ‘It was properly discussed, including with Chris and Patrick’, do you agree with that?”
Sir Chris replied: “On this one, neither Patrick nor I can call it and I think we would have done.”
He continued: “I made fairly firmly to Number 10, not to the Prime Minister, the view that it would have been prudent, let’s put it that way, for them to have thought about discussing it (the EOTHO scheme) before it was launched.
“And this was aimed at the centre.
“I was unsurprised that the Treasury and many other ministries were coming up with those schemes – it is perfectly legitimate.
“Number 10 held the ring and… so it may well be correct that the Prime Minister was under the impression we had been consulted, but it was not the fact that we were consulted and that difference, I think, is probably worth just highlighting.”
