Dominic Cummings says Boris Johnson called Covid-19 a ‘scary story’ UK News

Dominic Cummings launched an extraordinary attack on Boris Johnson, claiming people have died needlessly due to government failures during the coronavirus pandemic.

The former aide to the prime minister said he regretted that ministers, civil servants and advisers were not “disastrously below” the standards the public should expect in a crisis.

Former Boris Johnson aide said: “The truth is that senior ministers, senior officials, senior advisers like myself have fallen disastrously below the standards the public has come to expect from their government in a crisis. like this one.

“When the public needed us most, the government failed.

“I would like to tell all the families of those who have died needlessly how sorry I am for the mistakes that were made and for my own mistakes.”

Mr Cummings told MPs the government “hasn’t acted like (Covid) is the most important thing in February, let alone January,” adding that the government is not on a “war footing. And that “a lot of key people were literally skiing” in February.

He also claimed Boris Johnson viewed the coronavirus outbreak as an ‘alarming story’ at first and missed key meetings as the virus spread across the world.

Mr Cummings also claimed the Prime Minister described the virus as “the new swine flu” while testifying before Commons health and science committees.

Giving evidence to the Commons Health and Welfare and Science and Technology committees, Mr Cummings said: “In February the Prime Minister saw this as a frightening story, he described it as the new swine flu. ”

When asked if he had told the Prime Minister that was not the case, Mr Cummings added: ‘Certainly, but the view of various officials inside Number 10 was to know if the prime minister is chairing the Cobra meetings and he just tells everyone ‘it’s swine flu, don’t you worry i’m going to ask Chris Whitty to inject me live on TV with coronavirus to make everyone realize that there is nothing to be afraid of ‘, that would not help to seriously panic.

Dominic Cummings said “many institutions” failed early in the coronavirus crisis.

The former chief deputy to the prime minister told the Commons committee: “When he started in January, I thought part of my mind, ‘Oh my God, is that it? What have people been warning about all this time?

“However, at the time, the PHE (Public Health England) here and the WHO (World Health Organization) and the CDC, in general, organizations in the western world weren’t sounding big alarm bells about this. subject.

“I think it is in retrospect quite obvious that very many institutions have failed on this first question.”

Dominic Cummings testifies. (PENNSYLVANIA)

Earlier Wednesday morning, Cabinet Minister Grant Shapps dismissed Mr Cummings’ evidence as a “side show”.

He said the focus on Mr Cummings was a “Westminster bubble thing” and “I find this obsession with one advisor a little odd”.

When asked if Mr Cummings was a liar, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Breakfast: “I will leave it to others to judge the reliability of this former adviser’s witness.

Asked whether Mr. Cummings was a “trusted advisor,” Mr. Shapps replied: “He was certainly an advisor to the government. It is up to others to decide on the relying party. ”