A Tory MP has suggested that Professor Chris Whitty should not give advice to the public over their social plans ahead of elected government officials.
On Wednesday Professor Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer urged the public to cut back on socialising this Christmas and then warned that “records will be broken a lot over the next few weeks.”
Tory MP Joy Morrissey said in a now-deleted tweet, “Perhaps the unelected covid public health spokesperson should defer to what our ELECTED Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister have decided.
“I know it’s difficult to remember but that’s how democracy works. This is not a public health socialist state.”
The Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting called Morrissey’s comments “outrageous.”
It is outrageous to see a Government PPS attacking the Chief Medical Officer in this way. She should apologise and withdraw this immediately.
Chris Whitty has never disputed where policy is made – he makes this point repeatedly.
Listen, don’t silence. https://t.co/8ZpehxM2xi
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) December 16, 2021
Streeting tweeted. “It is outrageous to see a Government PPS (parliamentary private secretary) attacking the Chief Medical Officer in this way. She should apologise and withdraw this immediately.
“Chris Whitty has never disputed where policy is made – he makes this point repeatedly.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) special envoy on Covid has warned that what the UK is seeing with Omicron “today is just the beginning of an extraordinary acceleration.”
Dr David Nabarro warned that he has “never been more concerned” by the pandemic than he is now and that Omicron present an “emergency situation” for the NHS and health services across the world.
He said, “I have been watching this pandemic and working on it since January 2020 and I have never been more concerned… not just about the UK, but about the world.”
Dr Nabarro added, “The rise that you’re seeing in the UK today is just the beginning of an extraordinary acceleration.”
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