Sir Patrick Vallance says it was 'Disappointing' that No.10 broke Covid rules!

 

Sir Patrick Vallance

The government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, says it's 'disappointing' that No.10 broke the rules on Covid. Yet, it seems that the Director General of the COVID Task Force, Kate Josephs, who was in charge of writing the laws on COVID, also broke her own rules and regulations. She was also fined by the police and found to have broken the law. 

According to the report by Sue Gray, on 16 December 2020, a Cabinet Office official on behalf of Kate Joseph, sent an invitation to 40 members of staff inviting them to a farewell bash for Kate in the Cabinet Office at 70 Whitehall. Sue Gray wrote: "There was beer, crisps, and wine...Social distancing guidance was not observed." 

That same day, London was moved into Tier 3. Indoor gatherings of two or more people from different households continued to be prohibited, unless an exception applied, such as a gathering which was reasonably necessary for work purposes. Government guidance issued on 30 November 2020, advised:  "You must not have a work Christmas lunch or party where that is primarily a social activity and is not otherwise permitted by the rules of your Tier." 

Although the invitation stressed that people were not to travel into London if they wouldn't otherwise have been in the office, the leaving do for Kate Joseph, clearly broke the rules. The social gathering was a party and wasn't reasonably necessary for work purposes. Indoor gatherings of two or more people from different households were banned and Kate's leaving do was not an exception. 

Kate Joseph later apologised for having attended the social gathering but a month later, she was suspended from her £190,000 job as the Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, and put on "discretionary leave."