Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson claimed that, last week, Sir Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty presented cherry-picked figures from hospitals on course to run out of beds, despite falling or stable numbers of Covid patients in hospital.

The problem? They didn’t.

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Full Fact Not surprised.

Because @allisonpearson politics are at loggerheads with the science based restrictive measures needed to reduce the transmission of Covid - she dismisses or misrepresents the advice of experts which has potential to compromise adherence to public health guidance.

Mark Brightman @allisonpearson @neilwildy @MULUC9 @MichaelKCrofts Maria Cullen Full Fact People who worship 'science' and 'scientists' have never seen how egos, vanity, gatekeeping, pal review, and not liking to be proved wrong abound there just as much as elsewhere. Nobody ever got a PhD funded which might cast doubt on the work of their supervisor or the field star

Mark Brightman @allisonpearson @neilwildy @MULUC9 @MichaelKCrofts Maria Cullen Full Fact High-ranking scientists are just as capable of circling the wagons to suppress research that goes against their own as high-ranking priests are capable of circling the wagons to suppress evidence of them f*cking choirboys.

Knorbert Mark Brightman @allisonpearson @neilwildy @MULUC9 @MichaelKCrofts Maria Cullen Full Fact At the moment we have a problem because academics and politicians are both past-masters at avoiding blame, both know there is an inquiry coming. Scientists will recommend toughest restrictions and dare politicians to tone them down, politicians will follow them to avoid blame.

Nobody Important @allisonpearson Knorbert Mark Brightman @neilwildy @MULUC9 @MichaelKCrofts Maria Cullen Full Fact Inquiry or whitewash 🤔

@neilwildy Nobody Important @allisonpearson Knorbert Mark Brightman @MULUC9 @MichaelKCrofts Maria Cullen Full Fact Has that happened in the past and if it did, did anything come of it ?