Sack Tory MP who criticised Chris Whitty, Labour tells Raab

Labour says Conservative MP Joy Morrissey should apologise or face the sack as Dominic Raab's parliamentary aide after criticising Chris Whitty.

In a tweet, which has now been deleted, the MP accused England's chief medical officer of exceeding his authority as an unelected official.

It came after Prof Whitty advised people to "prioritise" activities ahead of Christmas, amid rising Covid cases.

Another Tory MP said advisers were now "running the show".

On Wednesday, Prof Whitty said it would be "very sensible" for the public to prioritise "the social interactions that really matter to them and, to protect those ones, de-prioritising ones that matter much less to them".

His advice came as Covid cases hit a record high in the UK - partly driven by the new Omicron variant.

In response MP for Beaconsfield Ms Morrissey, said "Perhaps the unelected Covid public health spokesperson should defer to what our ELECTED members of Parliament and the prime minister have decided.

"I know it's difficult to remember but that's how democracy works. This is not a public health socialist state".

Labour's shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said the comments were "unacceptable and dangerous" adding: "As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly through Britain, there must not be any sign of the government censoring or intimidating our leading scientific experts."

He said Justice Secretary Mr Raab should fire Ms Morrissey as his parliamentary private secretary unless she apologised for her comments.

Asked if the prime minister agreed with Ms Morrissey's comment, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "No. Professor Whitty is a hugely respected and trusted public servant who provides independent, evidence-based advice."

Other Conservative MPs have also questioned Prof Whitty's role during the pandemic - particularly raising concern that his advice to reduce social activities was damaging businesses.

Steve Brine said his comments had put "hospitality into effective lockdown" and that businesses were now facing "complete ruin".

He added that advisers were now "running the show".

MP Steve Baker asked a Treasury minister to give him reassurance that "when officials speak at particular podiums at press conferences, that they are staying within the bounds of the policy that ministers have decided".

He warned that officials' advice had the power to "herd the public into particular behaviours" and that "while the government has formally allowed hospitality businesses in particular to stay open, the reality in my constituency is that fantastic businesses... have seen massive cancellations."

And Greg Smith said advisers had "pressed the panic button way beyond what this house voted for a couple of days ago".

On Tuesday, MPs voted to approve stricter coronavirus measures, including making proof of double-vaccination or a negative test a requirement for accessing large venues.

Defending his role during a health committee Prof Whitty said he didn't think ministers felt he was "treading on their toes on this one".

He said his job was to give scientific advice while ministers "take decisions".