Vallance says Eat Out to Help Out scheme likely increased Covid deaths - BBC News
Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser during the pandemic, says he was not consulted on Rishi Sunak's policy.
It's difficult to digest five hours of questioning, much of it dense, and examining in detail the way scientific advice was communicated through the pandemic.

In one sense much of Vallance's testimony covered areas we have heard about before in this inquiry.

He said he felt - with hindsight - the UK was about a week too late in entering the first national lockdown.

That might not sound like a huge delay but, at the time, we now know Covid cases were doubling every three days.

A seven- or ten-day wait would have meant thousands of extra infections and, potentially, thousands more hospitalisations and deaths.

Then there is the second lockdown in the autumn of 2020. Vallance suggested that lessons were not leant and "flip-flopping" in Downing Street meant that restrictions were again brought in too slowly.

Of course ministers had to also weigh up the impact of those restrictions - on the economy, on education and on society in general.

Both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak will get a chance to respond to these claims, and the others made today, when they give evidence in person next month.