London Daily

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

Partygate: Sir Patrick Vallance says it is 'disappointing' No 10 broke rules

Partygate: Sir Patrick Vallance says it is 'disappointing' No 10 broke rules

It is "disappointing" Covid rules were not followed in Downing Street, the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, has said.

Sir Patrick said it was "really important" that everyone stuck to the rules aimed at curbing the virus.

Speaking after collecting an honour at Buckingham Palace for his work during the pandemic, he also recalled tough days as the virus took hold in 2020.

And he said next winter could be another test, but the NHS was prepared.

The scientist became a household name after regularly updating the public in televised Covid briefings from Downing Street, often standing alongside the prime minister during key moments in the pandemic.

The early days of the pandemic were the "darkest", he said, as lots of people became ill quickly amid "huge uncertainty" about the virus.

"Obviously people in the government fell ill and the prime minister was very ill and those were very difficult days.

"It was mostly about the uncertainty. We did not know much about the virus. We did not know much about exactly how it spread. We did not know there were going to be vaccines and treatments."

Asked about the Partygate scandal, he said: "It was really important at all stages that everyone stuck to the rules. It works when people stuck to them. It is disappointing that that wasn't the case."

His comments come the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a confidence vote triggered by Tory MPs angry at staff partying in Downing Street while the UK was in lockdown.


'Second time lucky'


Sir Patrick said the UK was now in a "very different position" with Covid because of high vaccination and immunity levels.

But he said there would be further waves of infection, "maybe next winter".

There would also probably be an annual vaccine for people over a certain age, he said, and eventually Covid would be "more like a flu wave that we get every winter".

"It will be difficult because there will be some people who are really affected by it but the key to this is proper vaccination and proper management in the health service.

"Then gradually over the next two or three years, I think this could settle into a background infection, but we are not quite there yet."

As the Duke of Cambridge presented Sir Patrick with an upgraded award, he joked that this was "second time lucky" as Sir Patrick was originally knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours list.

Prince William joked with Sir Patrick as he presented him with the upgraded honour


It makes him a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, an award that recognises the work of senior military officials and civil servants.

Sir Patrick - who previously was in charge of drug discovery at GlaxoSmithKline - said the most positive time in the pandemic was when the UK became the first place in the world with an approved vaccine.

"We thought 'this is going to be a way out of this', even though it was over a year before it was finally a way to getting out of it," he said. "It was the thing that changed the course of the pandemic."

Eighteen months after the vaccine rollout began, 93% of over-12s in the UK have now had a first dose, and 87% have had a second dose.

Sir Patrick also praised the "most amazing scientists and experts" who made sure the public was given up-to-date factual information during the pandemic.

"It has been one of those experiences where you realise the importance of other people, humanity and the goodwill, hard work, passion and expertise," he said.

"It is nice to feel trusted and I am grateful for that.

"What I have tried to do and what others have tried to do is to make sure we are as honest and straightforward as possible about how we saw the situation at any given moment in the pandemic and to be as realistic as possible - both in terms of treatments and vaccines coming along but also on what the course of the pandemic was."

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
×