Heed the experts

Coronavirus and public trust

HOW TIMES change. It is only a handful of years since Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and others were dismissive of ‘experts’ in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum. “People in this country have had enough of experts,” bemoaned Mr Gove, one of the Prime Minister’s most senior lieutenants.

Now the Government is dependent on experts – individuals like Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, and

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, as the spread of the coronavirus pandemic relegates Brexit down the political agenda.

And this is the key as Ministers begin daily briefings on Covid-19 – further evidence that Britain is in the grip of its most serious public health crisis for a generation.

As the Prime Minister announced new measures on ‘social distancing’ to delay the transmission of Covid-19, and offer the greatest protection to the elderly, these public servants command confidence due to their plain-speaking and clarity.

It’s all the more reason that they are entrusted to lead the response to coronavirus; the public are far more likely to heed sobering warnings about the need for social distancing, and so on, if it is delivered by them and, where necessary, free from political interference.

The same applies to Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of Leeds-based NHS England. He should be giving regular updates on the readiness of hospitals while all political parties should be working together to provide a united response which galavanises communities for the difficult and dark days that now lie ahead.