Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the fourth factsheet of the UK COVID-19 news and information project published by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism on 1 June, what assessment they have made of the results of the survey fielded from 21–27 May which reported that trust in Her Majesty's Government as a source of information about COVID-19 had “declined substantially since April”, and which showed a “significant increase in the percentage of people who say they are concerned about false or misleading information about coronavirus from the UK government”; and how they intend to tackle the issue of the loss of public trust in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In responding to this unprecedented pandemic, the Government has been guided by the very best scientific and medical advice from our world-leading experts, and we believe their advice to be trustworthy. This approach is illustrated in the advice received and followed from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). Protecting the health and safety of the British public is, and must always be, our number one priority. Minutes of SAGE meetings have been published and are available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response