Watch: Chief medical officer Chris Whitty gives evidence to Britain’s Covid inquiry

Watch as chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty gave evidence to the Covid-19 Inquiry later on Tuesday (21 November)

The evidence session by Mr Whitty, who became one of the most recognisable figures in the country during the pandemic, was expected to last for the whole of Tuesday and could even extend into Wednesday.

His appearance came a day after former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, a close colleague who frequently appeared alongside him at coronavirus-era press conferences, offered his insights into former prime minister Boris Johnson and ministers’ handling of the pandemic.

Diary entries by Sir Patrick have so far offered extraordinary insights into his view of Mr Johnson, Rishi Sunak and the decisions taken by politicians as the crisis unfolded.

Lady Hallett’s inquiry heard on Monday that Mr Johnson was “bamboozled” by the graphs and data presented to him during the pandemic and was sometimes a “broken” man.