Former prime minister Boris Johnson favoured an "authoritarian approach" to punishing people who failed to isolate during the pandemic, the Covid-19 Inquiry has heard.Policymakers also preferred punishment over incentive, despite scientists arguing that "support and engagement" were "very important to get adherence up".Diary entries written by the then chief scientific adviser Lord Patrick Vallance revealed that those making decisions "always want to go for stick, not carrot".

Former prime minister Boris Johnson favoured an "authoritarian approach" to punishing people who failed to isolate during the pandemic, the Covid-19 Inquiry has heard.Policymakers also preferred punishment over incentive, despite scientists arguing that "support and engagement" were "very important to get adherence up".Diary entries written by the then chief scientific adviser Lord Patrick Vallance revealed that those making decisions "always want to go for stick, not carrot".