Scientific adviser tells Covid inquiry she distrusted Treasury’s ability to handle data

Prof Dame Angela McLean also said she had to ‘paper over the cracks’ and mediate between civil servants and academics

The UK’s chief scientific adviser has said part of her job during the pandemic was to “paper over the cracks” when issues arose between academics and civil servants on several occasions, the Covid inquiry learned.

Prof Dame Angela McLean, who at the time was the chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Defence, said most of the time academics advising the government would speak “pointedly” on issues, but civil servants spoke in “weirdly emollient” ways at meetings.