WATCH: Minister agrees you can ‘stick care home deaths on scientists’

Government health minister Helen Whately agreed in an interview this morning that Covid-19 care home deaths can be ‘stuck on scientists’.

Sky’s Kay Burley pointed out that discharging patients in hospital directly to care homes without testing was policy in March, and said: “You can’t stick this on the scientists.”

Whately replied: “Well, I can, because… I mean, I’m not, sorry…” She then stopped herself as Burley exclaimed, “You can stick it on the scientists?” and Whately claimed she misspoke.

“To be clear, that is your words… What I mean to say is we have taken the scientific advice at every stage of this process,” the health minister added.

Sky News then asked for the figure of how many arrival passengers to the UK were quarantined on Monday under the new government rules, and Whately was not able to provide it.

Me: “You can’t stick this on the scientists.”

Health Minister @Helen_Whately: “Well I can.”

The minister quickly backtracks after initially blaming scientists for mistakes made in managing #Coronavirus in care homes. MR#KayBurley pic.twitter.com/lPOQmCFRM7

— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) June 9, 2020