There is nothing new about politicians and their advisors mixing with the UK science advice system. Here's the table plan for the Advisory Council on Science and Technology, 14 March 1990. Chair: Margaret Thatcher, with George Guise, of No 10 Policy Unit, also in the room https://twitter.com/Ian_Fraser/status/1253745995197943822

(For the consequences of this mixture, not always good, see my Science Policy under Thatcher, overview in this thread: https://twitter.com/jon_agar/status/1135474162120740865?s=20