Boris Johnson urged to delay knighthood for Chris Whitty until after Covid inquiry

Boris Johnson has been urged not to award Professor Chris Whitty a knighthood until after the inquiry into the Government’s handling of coronavirus.

Prof Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, has been widely tipped for a gong in the New Years honours or the Queen’s Birthday Honours, which will be awarded this weekend.

Kate Bingham, who chaired the UK's Vaccine Taskforce, will be awarded a damehood, The Telegraph revealed on Sunday.

At least eight petitions to Parliament have been created calling for Prof Whitty to be made a knight of the realm, but have been rejected because MPs do not have the power to award them.

Previous reports suggest that the Prime Minister is in favour of knighting Prof Whitty, but Tory MPs say any decision should be delayed until his advice can be scrutinised by a statutory inquiry into the Government’s response to the virus.

Downing Street has repeatedly refused to name a date when the inquiry can begin, which may push any potential honour for the Chief Medical Officer into 2022 or 2023.

Andrew Bridgen, the Conservative MP, said: “I think we should wait until the inquiry. I think the scientific advisers have completely underestimated the damage that's been done by the lockdowns, to our society and we are going to have to sort that out.”

Another Tory MP added: “I don't think it'd be appropriate, right at this moment in time to give Chris Whitty a knighthood.

"We should wait until a point where we can determine with a certain degree of confidence whether his advice has been effective or not.”

Others said Prof Whitty was almost certain to receive a knighthood and called for it to be awarded sooner.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who was knighted himself in the 2020 New Years honours for political and public service, said: “I’m very happy for him to get one. If push comes to shove, if he’s going to get it, get it done.”

Prof Whitty already holds a lesser honour - the Companion of the Order of the Bath - for his service to tropical medicine in the UK and Africa following the Ebola crisis.