Sack Tory MP who criticised Chris Whitty, Labour tells Raab

Joy Morrissey deleted her tweet criticising Prof Whitty

Labour says Conservative MP Joy Morrissey should apologise or face the sack as Dominic Raab's parliamentary aide after criticising Chris Whitty.

In a tweet, which has now been deleted, the MP accused England's chief medical officer of exceeding his authority as an unelected official.

It came after Prof Whitty advised people to "prioritise" activities ahead of Christmas, amid rising Covid cases.

Another Tory MP said advisers were now "running the show".

But Prof Whitty said chief medical officers "have always given advice to the general public" and ministers do not feel he is "treading on their toes".

Asked if Boris Johnson agreed with Ms Morrissey, a No 10 spokesperson said: "No - the chief medical officer is a hugely trusted public servant who produces expert advice. It's up to politicians to decide what to do."

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On Wednesday, Prof Whitty said it would be "very sensible" for the public to prioritise "the social interactions that really matter to them and, to protect those ones, de-prioritising ones that matter much less to them".

His advice came as Covid cases hit a record high in the UK - partly driven by the new Omicron variant.

In response MP for Beaconsfield Ms Morrissey, said "Perhaps the unelected Covid public health spokesperson should defer to what our ELECTED members of Parliament and the prime minister have decided.

"I know it's difficult to remember but that's how democracy works. This is not a public health socialist state".

Appearing in front of the health and social care committee, Prof Whitty said he had always been "extremely clear on what I think the role of an adviser is" and that ministers make the decisions.

But he said: "From the very beginning, the very first chief medical officer in the 1850s, chief medical officers have always given advice to the general public."

Prof Whitty said the advice he gave on Wednesday "is advice that I think any chief medical officer would have given", adding: "I don't actually think that any minister is feeling I am treading on their toes on this one. This is my job.

"But I also consider that questions about things like further measures - those are very much for ministers, so it's drawing a line between those two."

'Complete ruin'

Labour's shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said the comments from Ms Morrissey were "unacceptable and dangerous" adding: "As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly through Britain, there must not be any sign of the government censoring or intimidating our leading scientific experts."

He said Justice Secretary Mr Raab should fire the MP as his parliamentary private secretary unless she apologised for her comments.

Asked if the prime minister agreed with Ms Morrissey's comments, his official spokesman said: "No. Professor Whitty is a hugely respected and trusted public servant who provides independent, evidence-based advice."

Other Conservative MPs have also questioned Prof Whitty's role during the pandemic - particularly raising concern that his advice to reduce social activities was damaging businesses.

Steve Brine said his comments had put "hospitality into effective lockdown" and that businesses were now facing "complete ruin".

He added that advisers were now "running the show".

Chris Whitty has regularly held press conferences with the prime minister since the beginning of the pandemic

Fellow Tory MP Steve Baker asked a Treasury minister to give him reassurance that "when officials speak at particular podiums at press conferences, that they are staying within the bounds of the policy that ministers have decided".

He warned that officials' advice had the power to "herd the public into particular behaviours" and that "while the government has formally allowed hospitality businesses in particular to stay open, the reality in my constituency is that fantastic businesses... have seen massive cancellations".

And another Tory, Greg Smith, said advisers had "pressed the panic button way beyond what this House voted for a couple of days ago".

On Tuesday, MPs voted to approve stricter coronavirus measures, including making proof of double-vaccination or a negative test a requirement for accessing large venues.

Defending Prof Whitty, former Conservative chief whip Julian Smith said it was "completely unacceptable" for politicians to take part in "personal attacks" against members of the civil service.

"The UK civil service supports the government, works flat out and needs to be encouraged and defended in its role of offering impartial and confident advice," he added.