A leaked email from Sir Patrick Vallance obtained via an FOI request has revealed when he “argued stronger than anyone for action for lockdown” he received “a telling off” from Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care Chris Wormald and former Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill. Far from Cummings, it was the machinery of Whitehall that stood opposed…

The leaked email comes just days after MPs advocated a public enquiry into the handling of the pandemic. Convenient that private words of some advisers are getting out early…

Read the email in full below:

From: Vallance, Patrick (GO-Science)

To: Government Chief Scientific Adviser; [REDACTED]; Simon Whitfield – Government Office for Science

Sent: 23 May 2020 13:03

Subject: RE: Sunday Times letter to Downing Street [OFFICIAL]

Thanks. What should we do if anything? In some ways there is nothing new here — these are all arguments that have been put before. The one thing on herd immunity is I did make it clear at the select committee that ultimately herd immunity is what is achieved by vaccines and that is what stops epidemics but I just don’t think it is worth going back again on that.
If you see the CCS paper produce in Feb it is very clear what we warned of and what needed to be prepared for.
It is also the case that I argued stronger than anyone for action for lockdown (with a telling off from CMO, PS DHSC and CabSec)
Is there anything we need to do or just keep quiet?

Patrick