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No 10 condemns man who repeatedly abused Chris Whitty in ‘appalling’ TikTok video

Watch: Chris Whitty harassed and called ‘liar’ in the street

Downing Street has condemned the verbal attack on Professor Chris Whitty after footage showed England’s chief medical officer being accused of “lying” about COVID-19 while out walking near Westminster.

The TikTok video, widely shared on social media on Tuesday, shows England’s chief medical officer walking on Westminster's Strutton Ground market before stopping and putting on a face mask while waiting to order lunch.

As he stands on the street, a TikTok user films Prof Whitty and repeatedly calls him a “liar” while the professor remains silent.

At one point, the person filming the video tells Prof Whitty that is "lying about the COVID-19 cases” and tells him to “stop lying to the TV, man”.

Chris Whitty was repeatedly called a 'liar' while he queued up for lunch in the street.
Chris Whitty was repeatedly called a 'liar' while he queued up for lunch in the street.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Chris Whitty is an outstanding public servant who has worked incredibly hard and tirelessly to help steer us through what has been a very, very challenging time over the past year.

“And it is clearly unacceptable that somebody who has done so much is being subject to this sort of behaviour.”

Tory MP Matt Vickers also condemned the actions of the person filming the video and urged Twitter followers to share the clip.

He tweeted: “This is appalling, I really can't believe this footage.

“Chris Whitty is doing all he can to help guide us through this crisis and should never be subjected to this abuse.”

Tory MP Matt Vickers said the video was 'appalling'. (Twitter)
Tory MP Matt Vickers said the video was 'appalling'. (Twitter)

The individual was branded “pathetic” by health secretary Matt Hancock. He said: “It is ridiculous what he is doing. Chris Whitty is one of our greatest living scientists and his advice to the Government all the way through this, and his advice to all of us in the population, has been incredibly smart and thoughtful, and he is a great asset to this nation.

“The idea that someone would do something as silly as that is ridiculous.”

He added: “Chris Whitty is a scientist of great repute and, frankly, he should be respected by everybody.”

Yahoo News UK has contacted the Department for Health and Social Care for a comment.

Prof Whitty has become a prominent figure in the coronavirus pandemic, regularly fronting press conferences with the prime minister to give updates and advice.

As the vaccination programme continues in the UK, Prof Whitty has warned that any restrictions that may be lifted may have to be reintroduced in the winter.

He said: “We might have to bring in a few in the next winter for example, that’s possible, because winter will benefit the virus.”

Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty speaks during a virtual press conference on the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, at 10 Downing Street in central London on January 22, 2021. - There is "some evidence" that the new strain of coronavirus identified in Britain is not only more transmissible but also more deadly, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday. "It also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant... may be associated with a higher degree of mortality," he said at a Downing Street press conference. (Photo by Leon Neal / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LEON NEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chris Whitty has regularly appeared at coronavirus press briefings. (Getty)

Figures released on Tuesday showed a further 1,449 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19, bringing the UK total to 108,013.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where COVID-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 125,000 deaths involving the disease in the UK.

The government also said that, as of 9am on Tuesday, there had been a further 16,840 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

This is the lowest reported daily total of new cases since 9 December, when 16,578 cases were recorded.

It brings the total number of confirmed cases in the UK to 3,852,623.

Watch: What you can and can't do during England's third national lockdown