[bitontheslide]

Nobel Prize-winning geneticist and cell biologist Sir Paul Nurse, who is director of the Francis Crick Institute research centre, has criticised the UK government's communication with the public.

Speaking to the BBC, he said the public should be treated like adults - with more transparency.

"I think we need greater openness in the decision-making. It sometimes seems somewhat shrouded in secrecy," he said.

"And not only that, but better communication of what's happening. Treat the public as adults.

"I'll give one example. At the height of the infection I was at a select committee in April and a public health person, I think it was - they may have been from the Department for Health and Social Care - was saying all the testing needed for the NHS was in place.

"Yet we showed at the Francis Crick, at that time, 45% of front-line healthcare staff were infected and they were not being tested because capacity was inadequate.

"Now, that isn't a way to earn trust from the public. We need openness, transparency, scrutiny, and a leadership of people taking responsibility for the decision-making, and we need it now."