A damning new report has exposed that key scientific advisors to the UK Government during the Covid-19 pandemic failed to disclose they had received more than £200 million in research grants from a major pharmaceutical investor.
Undisclosed Funding from a Major Funder
The analysis, conducted by the campaign group UsForThem, found that twenty-six members of the influential Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) did not register the substantial funding from the Wellcome Trust on the official register of participants' interests. SAGE played a central role in shaping the UK's lockdown rules and pandemic response.
The report scrutinised publicly available data from The Wellcome Trust, a charity largely funded by its investments in the pharmaceutical industry. It claims the 26 members received at least £210 million in grants from Wellcome between 2018 and 2026. Crucially, £175 million of this was provided during the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 alone.
Of the 149 SAGE members during the crisis, 38 had applied for or supported applications to the Wellcome Trust. However, only 12 declared this relationship, leaving 26 who apparently did not comply with transparency rules.
High-Profile Advisers and Major Grants
Among those named is Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling was instrumental in persuading Prime Minister Boris Johnson to implement the first national lockdown in March 2020. Analysis shows he was lead applicant or sponsor for Wellcome grants worth £5.6 million, including a £1.25 million study on influenza-like viruses in Vietnam. While he declared involvement with a 'Vaccine Impact Modelling Consortium', he did not mention Wellcome.
Other prominent figures include Professor Susan Michie, a proponent of long-term Covid restrictions. Wellcome data shows she was lead applicant for a £3.8 million behavioural science grant she failed to disclose. Professor John Edmunds sponsored 10 research projects receiving over £12 million in Wellcome grants during the pandemic, none of which appeared on the register.
Vaccines expert Professor Gavin Screaton received more than £26 million across nine Wellcome grants, one directly related to Covid-19, according to the charity's records. These were also absent from the SAGE register.
Calls for Transparency and Public Trust
Ben Kingsley, legal director for UsForThem, stated that SAGE members were explicitly told to disclose such funding due to their influence over public health decisions affecting millions. "The fact that some members appear not to have respected those requirements raises serious questions about transparency and potential conflicts of interest," he said.
The SAGE register requires participants to declare commercial and research interests, including past and present funding. The revelations come amid heightened scrutiny of pandemic decision-making, with the Government having spent over £100 million on its response to the Covid inquiry, separate from the inquiry's own £200 million cost.
A Wellcome spokesperson stated: "Wellcome is an independent non-profit foundation that supports science to solve health challenges. Details of our grants are published openly on our website." Responses from some professors cited included that grants were not considered a conflict, or that they believed they had complied fully with declaration guidance.
The report underscores ongoing debates about the transparency of scientific advice and the potential for undisclosed financial interests to influence critical public health policy during a national emergency.
