This round table, recorded at the nuffield summit 2021, asks what does following the science actually mean - do ministers understand the nuance of the science in the pandemic, and how does uncertainty get interpreted through the lens of ideology and the power of compelling stories.

Taking part are:
Kamran Abassi, executive editor of The BMJ
Partha Kar, consultant in diabetes and endocrinology
Deborah Cohen, health correspondent for BBC Newsnight
Tom Sasse, associate director at the Institute for Government
Christina Pagel, professor of Operational Research at University College London
Matt Morgan, intensive care consultant
Andy McKeon, chair of the Nuffield Trust
Isobel Hardman, assistant editor of The Spectator
Mary Dixon-Woods, director of This Institute
Ben Page, chief executive of Ipsos MORI
Alexandra Freeman, executive director of the Winton Centre for Risk & Evidence Communication
Will Moy, chief executive of Full Fact
Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust