Scientists Were Not Consulted Over 'Eat Out To Help Out', Sunak Admits

Rishi Sunak forcefully defended his record as chancellor during Covid yesterday, saying he did not need to consult scientists about the "eat out to help out" scheme, and that descriptions of the Treasury as being "pro death" were deeply unfair.

- Peter Walker

Over five hours of often cautious evidence to the Covid inquiry during which he repeatedly said he could not remember meetings, comments or other details - Sunak said he did not override scientific objections to his hospitality scheme.

The inquiry had previously heard that Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, called the plan that subsidised people to visit restaurants and cafes in summer 2020 "eat out to help out the virus", while Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser during Covid, said it was "highly likely" to have caused additional deaths.

Sunak dismissed these objections, saying the scheme had protected millions of jobs held by "particularly vulnerable people", while confirming he had not explicitly sought expert advice about its potential impact.