Downing Street has published the names of the more than 50 scientists who sit on its Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies to discuss coronavirus, after criticism of the secrecy surrounding the group and the Guardian’s revelation that the No 10 adviser Dominic Cummings had attended meetings of the group.
The list of names was made available on the government’s website, showing that around half of the experts come from universities and another half are made up of government chief scientific advisers, public health officials or NHS senior staff.
Cummings is not listed as a member even though he attended meetings and made interjections, according to those present.
The scientists include university professors such as Wendy Barclay, Ian Boyd, John Edmunds, Sir Jeremy Farrar, Neil Ferguson, Julia Gog, Peter Horby, Dame Theresa Marteau, Graham Medley, Andrew Morris, Cath Noakes, Michael Parker, Venki Ramakrishnan, Andrew Rambaut, Brooke Rogers, James Rubin, Calum Semple, Sir David Spieglhalter, Russell Viner, Mark Woolhouse and Lucy Yardley.
Two participants refused to be named. Membership lists of several other advisory groups were also published.
In an explanatory note, the government said: “The group is co-chaired by the government chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and the chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, and includes experts from within government and leading specialists from the fields of healthcare and academia.”
Downing Street is likely to publish more papers informing the work of the group in the coming days as it prepares to examine advice on ways to ease the lockdown.
