THE chief scientific adviser under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown has said he cannot recall a Cobra meeting which was not attended by the prime minister of the time.
His comments come after a report in The Sunday Times which said Boris Johnson missed five meetings of the key Cobra committee in the run-up to the coronavirus outbreak.
Michael Gove told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show that "most Cobra meetings don't have the prime minister attending them".
He had earlier told Sky News's Sophy Ridge: "The idea that the Prime Minister skipped meetings that were vital to our response to the coronavirus, I think is grotesque."
That was despite the PM's official spokesman confirming last month that Johnson has indeed missed the first five meetings.
This was pointed out by Sky News reporter Joe Pike.
UPDATE: No 10 confirm today was the SIXTH emergency COBRA ctte meeting on #Coronavirus. And the first attended by @BorisJohnson.
— Joe Pike (@joepike) March 2, 2020
However they point out the PM has received private briefings from Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific twice a week since the outbreak began.
READ MORE: Ian Blackford vows SNP action over Tory negligence on coronavirus
Professor Sir David King, who was chief scientific adviser from 2000 to 2007, was asked about The Sunday Times investigation in which a Whitehall source claimed the Government "missed the boat on testing and PPE" (personal protective equipment) and "just watched" as the death toll mounted in Wuhan, China.
He told Sky News: "What really is emphasised in that piece is the fact that the government ministers had their eye off the ball.
"They were totally focused on other issues such as Brexit, and the celebration of us emerging from Europe."
READ MORE: Dr Philippa Whitford hits out at Michael Gove's PPE claim
King added: "The Prime Minister had other things on his mind, and we're fully aware of this, but apparently he didn't attend five Cobra meetings on this issue.
"And when Michael Gove says 'but prime ministers don't attend all Cobra meetings', I cannot recall a Cobra meeting when it was called with Blair or Brown as prime minister when the prime minister wasn't in the chair."
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