In 2002, Iain Duncan Smith notoriously declared: “Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man.” It might have been a rather poor self-description, but it serves as a perfect representation of the chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty.
For nearly two days he quietly answered questions put to him at the Covid inquiry; his tone uniformly reasonable, his demeanour consistently mild. Whitty’s former deputy Jonathan Van-Tam, who followed his erstwhile boss at the inquiry, summed him up perfectly at the inquiry. “I’m the one who chases the ball,” he said. “Chris is the one to look at the ball first and makes a more qualified and thoughtful decision about whether it was worth chasing.” So if ever Whitty should even amble ballwards, you know to take it very seriously indeed.
