Ministers using ‘following the science’ defence to justify decision-making during pandemic, says Prof Brian Cox

Prof Cox says using the term masks ‘whole area of debate’

Ministers have been using the mantra of “following the science” as a "simple defence" to justify decision-making during the Covid-19 pandemic, Professor Brian Cox has said.

Mr Cox, one of the world’s most respected scientists, said that use of the defence had been masking “a whole area of debate” going on between advisers and politicians behind closed doors.

“I’ve seen instances of the phrase ‘we were following the science’ as a very simple defence to a difficult question,” said Cox, during a discussion held by the Science Media Centre.

“I worry that if you have a straightforward defence to a difficult question which is ‘we were always following the science’ then that masks a whole area of debate that will have gone on behind the scenes.”

Mr Cox also called on the government to provide more clarity on how it was making decisions during the pandemic, saying that ministers needed to explain that economists and other experts will have been consulted in decision making.

The Royal Society professor for public engagement with science, said: "The politicisation of science or scientific advice might deliver some short-term political advantages.

"It's very tempting, I think, to blame the science if a decision is made which subsequently turns out to be suboptimal in some way.

"But, this will have, I think, have serious long-term consequences because it undermines public trust in science."

He added: "We need to see how ministers made the decisions, and how they may have changed their minds as new knowledge became available, because this is the way to enhance the public trust.

"I think you can see why there's concern in the scientific community over the, 'we are following the science message'.

"It almost seems sometimes like a defence that some ministers appear to have been coached to deploy when asked a difficult question."

Professor Cox also said that in the case of Covid-19, a science for the virus does not necessarily exist, because it is too early on the curve of understanding.

It is therefore too simplistic a response for ministers to say in response to a difficult question that "we are following the science", Cox added.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “The government has been working round the clock with a team of world-renowned scientists, public health experts and clinicians - including virologists and epidemiologists.

“We built on learnings from previous pandemic planning exercises to rapidly respond to the emergence of COVID-19 with a clear, science-led action plan to contain, delay, research and mitigate the outbreak.

“At all times our strategy has been to protect life and our planning helped prevent the NHS being overwhelmed and means we are now moving past the peak of the virus.”

Mr Cox’s comments come following a tumultuous week in which union bosses clashed with the government amid concerns over workers’ safety in returning to work.

On Sunday, Michael Gove accepted that there was no way of being certain that teachers and children will not catch the virus if they return to school.

Appearing on the BBC‘s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Mr Gove said: “The only way ever to ensure that you never catch coronavirus is to stay at home completely. There’s always, always, always in any loosening of these restrictions a risk of people catching the coronavirus.”

“The key thing is that we can make these workplaces safe. You can never eliminate risk, but as we know, it is the case that it is extremely unlikely that any school is likely to be the source of a Covid outbreak and if, for any reason, there are risks we can take steps to mitigate them.”

Mr Gove urged councils, teaching unions and doctors to “think again” about opposition to reopening primary school classrooms in England from 1 June, as proposed by the government, telling them that if they really care about children they should look to their responsibilities.

Labour is pressing the government to publish the scientific evidence underpinning the proposal to reopen schools, and to keep talking to unions, teachers and councils to ensure parents can be confident their children will be safe if they return.

Rachel Reeves, shadow Cabinet Office minister, told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “The government have got a lot more work to do to give that confidence that it will be safe to send children back in two weeks’ time.

“The government have got two weeks to get this right. They haven’t approached this in the right way so far.”