What’s going on in the UK: 6-19 January

This week: JVT steps down, Wales steps up on net zero and more

Government science advice

Jonathan Van-Tam, who has become a household name in the battle against Covid-19, is to step down from his role as deputy chief medical officer for England. Van-Tam, who joined the Department of Health and Social Care on secondment from the University of Nottingham in 2017, will return to the institution in a new role as pro vice-chancellor of the faculty of medicine and health sciences at the end of March. “We all wish Covid had never happened,” Van-Tam said. “Notwithstanding, it has been the greatest privilege of my professional career to have served the people of the UK during this time.”