Abolition of Public Health England just 'passing of blame for coronavirus mistakes'
Wellcome Trust director says government should have waited for public inquiry
The abolition of Public Health England is a kneejerk attempt to blame it for mistakes made over coronavirus, one of the government's key advisers on the crisis has alleged.
Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage), criticised the move as ill-conceived, premature and unwise until a public inquiry into the pandemic has reported.
His remarks came amid fears of widespread job losses when PHE is merged into a new body - up to 800 PHE staff who specialise in tackling obesity, smoking and alcohol misuse could be at risk, sources at the agency told the Guardian.
Their concerns came as Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust, joined the chorus of criticism from doctors, scientists and public health experts that has greeted PHE's abolition.
Arbitrary sackings. Passing of blame. Ill thought through, short-term, reactive reforms," he wrote on Twitter. Out of context of under-investment [in public health] for years.
Response to singular crisis without strategic vision needs for range future challenges. Pre-empting inevitable public inquiry".
Ministers would have done better to leave PHE as it was, learn lessons from other countries, examine long-term trends in public health and learn the lessons from any public inquiry before acting, he added.