No 10 was aware that the government’s chief scientific advisers were not consulted on the potential risks of the the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, the Covid Inquiry heard.

Stuart Glassborow, the deputy principal private secretary to Boris Johnson during the pandemic, said there was no “direct analysis” from Sir Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, the then chief scientific adviser, or Sage over the scheme which was launched to support the hospitality industry in summer 2020.

Questioned on the period after the meeting until the scheme’s launch in August, Mr Glassborow said: “I think I, and others in Number 10, did become aware that there hadn’t been direct CMO, CSA, Sage analysis on this policy. So we did come to know that.”

Earlier on Monday, the government’s former chief economic adviser said the Treasury had “no estimated cost of a lockdown”.

Clare Lombardelli told the Inquiry: “There was no way to basically say a lockdown will cost you X, or indeed a lockdown of this form will cost you X but of a different form will cost you Y.”

Ms Lombardelli also said she was not sure whether scientists weren’t consulted over the Eat Out to Help Out scheme and was unaware Rishi Sunak was referred to as “Dr Death” over the policy.

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