Jeremy Farrar: We need a national consensus for the way forward

A leading scientist who sits on the SAGE committee that advises the government has told the BBC that the current row between Westminster and local leaders is “very dangerous”.

Professor Jeremy Farrar, who also directs the Wellcome Trust, told the BBC’s Newscast podcast: “I think we’ve got to come together as a country, this fragmentation, and frankly making this either a north south or a party political issue, that’s a very dangerous route to go on."

"What we don’t want now is a fragmentation, confusion – one area or region or city pitched against another. I think that would be very, very damaging to public health and the country’s ability to respond,” he added.