London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

No 10 accused of sidelining behaviour experts on latest Covid measures

No 10 accused of sidelining behaviour experts on latest Covid measures

Exclusive: SPI-B scientists warn of lack of independent advice at a time when social norms are replacing laws

Senior scientific advisers have publicly accused the government of sidelining behavioural experts and appearing unwilling to listen to “uncomfortable truths” on vaccine passports and masks during the pandemic.

The scientists told the Guardian that their input to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) was apparently no longer wanted owing to the expansion of in-house expertise.

They also warned of an absence of independent advice at a time when the virus’s spread depends largely on individual behaviour and social norms rather than laws.

The intervention comes as ministers face criticism for mixed public health messaging on face coverings – including the new cabinet meeting maskless in a packed room on Friday – and a U-turn on vaccine passports in England, while Scotland and Wales press ahead.

Prof Robert West, a behavioural scientist at University College London who participates in Sage’s behavioural science subgroup, SPI-B, said that while the committee had not been formally stood down, he had the “strong impression it is no longer functioning”. “The sense I have is that there’s just no interest in evidence or science on the behavioural side,” he said.

Prof Stephen Reicher, also a SPI-B participant and a psychologist at the University of St Andrews, said: “I very much welcome the expansion of in-house behavioural science advice but … you want people who can speak uncomfortable truths and it’s very difficult to do that when your job depends on it.”

Reicher said the experts’ input appeared to have been phased out at a critical juncture, when the trajectory of hospitalisations and deaths hinges largely on individual behaviours.


This week England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, warned of a difficult winter ahead, saying: “Anybody who believes that the big risk of Covid is now all in the past … has not understood where we’re going.” He urged people to maintain cautious behaviours such as mask-wearing.

The same day, 27 ministers were pictured without masks at a meeting of Boris Johnson’s cabinet, prompting claims of “one rule for them”. The cabinet met again without masks on Friday.

On Sunday ministers announced they would shelve immediate plans for vaccine passports, previously due to be brought in from the end of September, while Wales and Scotland are introducing the measure for nightclubs and large events from next month.

Reicher said: “As we segue away from restrictions and say ‘it’s up to you’, the behavioural issues become absolutely critical. We’ve got the vaccines now. But vaccines are no good if people don’t get vaccinated.”

During the first year of the pandemic, SPI-B provided regular input on issues ranging from the likelihood of behavioural fatigue and public unrest to attitudes on vaccination. But during the past six months its activity has tailed off, with the most recent published evidence being a report dating to April.

Scientists said their offers to provide advice on the role of incentives in the vaccination programme had been declined on the basis that Public Health England and the government had recruited in-house behavioural experts. At the last full SPI-B meeting, in June, participants were told there would no longer be regular meetings.

Prof Susan Michie, the director of the Centre for Behaviour Change at University College London and another SPI-B participant, said: “Sage and many others are predicting rising rates of Covid and other respiratory viruses and serious NHS pressures, and there is considerable uncertainty [about] the scale of the problems we are going to see over the winter. Sage has pointed out that what happens will depend to a considerable extent on people’s behaviour.

“Now is not the time to lose independent behavioural scientific advice to government, whether or not they choose to use it.”

Some participants said the shift towards in-house expertise simply reflected an inevitable – and desirable – transition out of the emergency phase of the pandemic. They highlighted that subgroups, focused on specific questions, had continued to meet, including as recently as 13 September.

Prof James Rubin, a former chair of SPI-B and a psychologist at King’s College London, said: “In my view, it would be odd if a group intended to provide rapid advice as an emergency measure was still the primary way the government was getting behavioural science input 18 months down the line.”

Others suggested that the shift had been more intentional. West said: “People on SPI-B would speak out in the media and tweet. Why have that little irritation out there if you don’t have to?”

West said independent advice could be critical for understanding complex social issues such as vaccine hesitancy and how government messaging would be likely to influence behaviour.

Prof John Drury, a social psychologist at Sussex University and a SPI-B member, speaking in a personal capacity, welcomed the hiring of more psychologists by Public Health England (PHE), who he said were producing excellent research. But he added that SPI-B participants tended to be senior academics, who could also speak more freely on some issues. “They are independent in a way that PHE psychologists – who must sign the civil servants’ code – cannot be,” he said.

A government spokesperson said: “Expert advice on behavioural science remains central to government policy and SPI-B are currently working on independent advice that is informing our handling of the pandemic.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×