‘No right way to handle a crisis’ of Covid’s magnitude says Professor John Edmunds amid Rishi Sunak criticism

Conservative leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has claimed that scientists had too much influence over decision-making during the pandemic, casting himself as a lone voice of resistance in cabinet discussions of lockdown measures.

Speaking to the Spectator Magazine, the former Chancellor criticised the role played by the Sage group of Scientific Advisers, saying that it had been wrong to empower them during the pandemic. Mr Sunak claimed government discussions of lockdown didn’t consider the backlog building up in the NHS or missed doctors appointments.

Professor John Edmunds, a member of Sage who often appeared on this programme at the height of the pandemic, spoke to Ayshah.

She began by asking what he thought about the comments made by Rishi Sunak.