Boris Johnson’s SAGE advisors are meeting just once a month despite soaring Covid cases.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies had been meeting weekly since the start of the pandemic last year.
But its last four meetings were on October 15, September 9, July 22 and July 7.
According to the i newspaper, ministers have “lessened demand” for advice - despite Covid cases now soaring to around 50,000 a day.
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “This week we have seen infections at around 50,000 a day, warnings of waning vaccination and a faltering jabs programme which when combined with fear over flu should be taken as flashing warning lights for ministers.
“Learning to live with the virus is not the same as pretending the virus doesn’t exist. To hear that Sage has effectively been stood down beggars belief.”
It’s understood the meeting rhythm of SAGE is determined by government demand for scientific advice, and the emergence of new evidence.
Sources said the tempo of meetings had reduced partly due to improving scientific understanding of the disease.
It comes despite 223 new deaths being recorded on Tuesday, the highest since the start of March.
Some 911 deaths within 28 days of a positive test have been recorded in the last week, up 15% on the week before. Cases are up 16% and hospital admissions are up 10%.
SAGE member Prof Neil Ferguson, an architect of lockdown, warned: “Coming into the winter, there may be a Plan B which needs to be implemented, which involves some rolling back of measures. But I doubt that we’ll ever get close to lockdown we were in January of this year.”
At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Prime Minister told his ministers hospitalisations and deaths are “broadly flat”.
“Although we face a difficult winter we have a plan in place to steer the country through this period,” the Tory leader said.
But No10 did not rule out implementing Plan B, which would see a return of compulsory masks in some public places and compulsory vaccine passports in some venues.
“We’ve started to see some indications that hospitalisations and death rates are increasing,” the PM’s spokesman said. “Clearly we’re keeping a very close eye on rising case rates.”
