A video of Professor Chris Whitty being branded a ‘liar’ by a Covid-denying stranger in the street has gone viral after being posted on TikTok.

In the footage, the accoster, who appears to be in his late teens, shouts at the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England: ‘Oi, big man. What you saying? You’re a liar. You’re a liar. Mandem, he’s a liar. You lie about the Covid-19 cases, man. Come on man, stop lying to the TV man.’

The clip has been heavily criticised by several MPs, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock today calling the heckler ‘pathetic’ and ‘ridiculous’.

Hancock told BBC Breakfast: ‘Chris Whitty is one of our greatest living scientists and his advice to the Government all the way through this, and his advice to all of us in the population, has been incredibly smart and thoughtful, and he is a great asset to this nation. The idea that someone would do something as silly as that is ridiculous.’

He added: ‘Chris Whitty is a scientist of great repute and, frankly, he should be respected by everybody.’

So what does Prof Whitty’s CV look like? The scientist’s educational background is extensive. He initially studied at the University of Oxford, gaining his BA in Physiology, DSc in medical science and BM BCh in medicine.

He then went on to achieve his diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and masters in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1996, before doing a masters in medical law at Northumbria University.

The scientist then also did a masters in Business Administration at the Heriot-Watt University in 2010, and has completed a graduate diploma in economics at the Open University.

Before becoming CMO, Prof Whitty had undertaken research and worked in the UK, Africa and Asia. He remains a practicing NHS consultant physician at at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Before becoming CMO, he was the Professor of Public and International Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Interim Government Chief Scientific Adviser from 2017 to 2018.

When the 2018 Novichok poisonings took place in Salisbury, Prof Whitty chaired the government SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group in Emergencies) through their crisis meetings with the Government.

He was also the Department for International Development’s Chief Scientific Adviser during the West Africa Ebola outbreak between 2009 and 2015, during which he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the New Year Honours.

Prof Whitty was then appointed CMO in 2019 and is also the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care.

In comparison to Prof Whitty, little is known about the TikTok user who filmed himself ambushing the CMO – and he has since deleted all his social media accounts. The teenager’s own scientific qualifications therefore currently remain unknown.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article