Political science

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So the government is following the science in terms of policymaking, but scientists cannot be involved in politics. That seemed to be the gist of yesterday’s daily press conference when prime minister Boris Johnson blocked the government’s chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Chris Whitty from responding to a question from the BBC’s political correspondent.

Laura Kuenssberg had asked whether the actions of Dominic Cummings in breaking lockdown were an example the public should follow. “It is very important that scientific advisers not get dragged into what I think most people will recognise is fundamentally a political argument,” Johnson intervened.