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Dominic Cummings has apologised for language used in a series of impolite messages criticising members of the government and denied misogyny following a sexist speech against a public official.
Boris Johnson’s former chief of staff on Tuesday won a series of WhatsApp insults about the Covid investigation, in which he called his former colleagues “fucking pigs, morons and c***s dead” from the pandemic.
He apologized for his derogatory language but defended his complaint more broadly, saying it was “a widely shared view” that senior politicians were “handling this crisis incredibly poorly. “
Among the audible gasps in the press annex, a message was read in which Mr Cummings called former senior civil servant Helen MacNamara a “f**” and said he would “handcuff and escort” her from Downing Street. However, he denied misogyny.
He also revealed that Boris Johnson had criticised advice that his wife Carrie was enforcing a lockdown policy by calling them “shit” in a message to Mr Davis Cummings.
During his testimony Tuesday morning, Lee Cain, Johnson’s former communications chief, said the pandemic was “a bad crisis for this prime minister’s abilities. “
Boris said he “believed it” that his wife Carrie is leading the blockade policy
Cummings calls MacNamara “f***” in series of derogatory messages
Government’s Covid plan is ‘practically a joke’, says Cummings
Cummings apologises for insulting ‘morons’ in Johnson’s cabinet on WhatsApp
The former adviser’s secret, crude rants about Boris Johnson
Lee Cain: Covid is a ‘bad crisis’ for Johnson
21:11, Tara Cobham
In today’s consultation on the Covid-19 investigation, profanity-filled messages between Dominic Cummings and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson were publicly leaked.
In the messages, Cummings, who was then an adviser to Johnson, gave the impression of being frustrated with the Cabinet Office, calling it “a part of”, and the delays in introducing new lockdown measures they would have caused.
He also accused Johnson of being “stupid” and described former fitness secretary Matt Hancock as the “NHS moron”.
The research continues to read about the government’s handling of the pandemic.
Sophie Thompson reports:
Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings take a look at issue 10
9:00 p. m. , Tara Cobham
20:18, Tara Cobham
Boris Johnson’s former closest advisers have gone under cover to criticise his leadership in the Covid pandemic as he was criticised for his handling of the crisis.
On a normal day of testimony in the Covid-19 investigation, the former prime minister’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings, called the constant change in strategy “exhausting” and called his cabinet “useless pigs” in explosive WhatsApp messages.
Cummings said Johnson did not believe Covid was a “big deal”, although it was also said at the hearing that the then Prime Minister was “obsessed” with the concept of other older people being allowed to contract the virus and make do with their own lives. “destiny” of keeping the economy open.
Kate Devlin and Archie Mitchell report:
Boris Johnson’s handling of the Covid crisis criticised by former senior advisers
20:08, Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer has fought in the Labour camp among members of its ranks in open revolt against his position on the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
The Labour leader has resisted internal pressure from his own party to call for a ceasefire, urging both warring sides to settle for a humanitarian pause to allow aid and leave the war zone.
Shadow ministers are among the senior Labour who cannot easily replace their post, with MP Alex Cunningham calling for an “immediate ceasefire” less than an hour before Sir Keir delivers his speech.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also criticised Sir Keir, saying he had made “hurtful” comments about the standoff and that there was “repair work to be done” to rebuild bridges with Muslim communities.
Sir Keir insisted that he took collective duty seriously (the precept that members of his senior team take a unified stance), but gave no sign that he was about to dismiss those who had spoken.
“It’s up to me to face collective responsibility, I recognize that,” he said.
“It’s vital and I take it incredibly seriously, but I put it in the context of understanding what drives other people to call for a ceasefire, which I don’t think is the call we’re making as it stands. “
19:51, Tara Cobham
The two busy days of the Covid-19 inquiry saw the emergence of some of Downing Street’s key figures at the start of the pandemic.
Here’s what we learned from Dominic Cummings, Lee Cain, and others on Monday and Tuesday.
What I learned from the Covid survey so far this week
19:40, Tara Cobham
Boris Johnson’s chaotic indecision has delayed lockdown measures, two of his most sensible advisers have said, saying he believes coronavirus is “the herbal way of treating the elderly”.
Dominic Cummings explained at Covid inquiry on Tuesday how the “dysfunctional system”, a “collapse of the British state”, failed to cope with the crisis, with the former prime minister downplaying the importance of the pandemic.
Lee Cain, who served as No 10’s communications director, criticised Johnson for “oscillating” between and delaying the government’s response.
The UK’s Covid-19 investigation has uncovered entries in Sir Patrick Vallance’s diary that say TVallance Johnson “is obsessed with making other people age so that they will be content with their fate and let the young continue to live” and run the economy.
18:57, Tara Cobham
Dominic Cummings has insisted he is not a misogynist and has called a senior official “that bitch” in a series of discourteous messages to Boris Johnson.
During a shocking day in which Covid testimonies lost new light on a culture of sexism at the heart of the former prime minister’s government, Cummings apologised for the “deplorable” language, claiming it was “much more rude towards men”.
In audible gasps, Cummings’ WhatsApp text messages about then-Deputy Cabinet Secretary Helen MacNamara from 2020, in which he said he would “handcuff and escort” her from Downing Street.
Read here:
Dominic Cummings Denies Misogyny Allegations Despite
18:55, Tara Cobham
6:50 p. m. , Tara Cobham
Dominic Cummings called Boris Johnson “exhausting” and, in a crude tirade, said the cupboards were “useless pigs” in explosive WhatsApp messages revealed today by the Covid-19 investigation.
On a pivotal day, Mr. Johnson, Lee Cain, testified, following Cummings, the former prime minister’s staff leader, during the pandemic.
Cummings apologised to the inquiry for the “appalling” language he used in his messages, but said it was “a widely shared view” of the incompetence shown by ministers who were “handling this crisis incredibly poorly”.
Joe Middleton reports:
Explosive WhatsApp Messages Reveal Cummings’ Secret, Crude Tirades About Johnson
18:06, Tara Cobham
Nicola Sturgeon has “given it her all” in the reaction to the pandemic.
Speaking to reporters in Holyrood about how she had deleted WhatsApp messages related to the pandemic, the former prime minister said: “I gave it my all in managing the pandemic.
“Transparency for the families affected, for everyone affected by the pandemic, means a lot to me.
“I’ve done as productive as possible every day, as you’ve heard me say many times over the course of the pandemic, I haven’t done every single thing right, but I’ve done as productive as possible and I need the procedure. of those investigations to get to the heart of what happened: the things that governments have done well and the things that governments and leaders have not done well.
18:05, Tara Cobham
Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I didn’t get the Covid WhatsApp reaction. “
Speaking to reporters in Holyrood, he said he is not a member of any WhatsApp organisation and made decisions about the reaction at the Scottish Government headquarters at St Andrews House in Edinburgh.
She said she had “nothing to hide” and was “committed to full transparency” for Covid-19 investigations in the UK and Scotland.
18:05, Tara Cobham
Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she handles messaging “in accordance with the policies” of the Scottish government.
Speaking at Holyrood, Mrs Sturgeon said: “All the messages I had, I dealt with and dealt with in accordance with the policies set out through the Deputy First Minister. “
His comments come after the Scottish Government published its policy on social media posts, which states that “business conversations” via informal messaging channels must be removed “at least once a month”.
17:26, Tara Cobham
Dominic Cummings said the way Downing Street handled the fallout from his home to Barnard Castle was an “absolute car accident” and “caused a lot of people pain”.
He was asked about the high-profile controversy and its impact on acceptance as true in government during his appearance in Covid research.
He said: “The handling of the scenario was really a disaster. But there were other points involved in all of this, too: testing, personal protective equipment, and many other things disappeared at that point.
He said it was “completely reasonable” for safety reasons to get his family out of their home, but on the Barnard Castle revelations, he said the way he “handled a car twist of fate and an absolute crisis and caused a lot of people pain. “of the people. “
But he added: “As for my actual moves of going north and then back down, I acted absolutely correctly and legally and did not break any rules. “
17:15, Tara Cobham
Dominic Cummings said he had to “roll the dice” and back Boris Johnson as prime minister, even though he considered him “unfit” for power.
Asked if he felt it, Cummings said “no,” adding, “Politics is a matter of choice. “
“And the choice we had in the summer of 2019 was to let the whole situation, this constitutional crisis that only happened a century ago, continue, give way and eventually see Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister and a second referendum on Brexit, which we imagined would be catastrophic. or throw the bucket on Boris and look at him and build a team around him that’s just for him.
“We don’t take this selection lightly. In the summer of 2019 we had the option to stay on the sidelines.
“But we thought the mix of the referendum at the moment and Corbyn was so bad that we rolled the dice. “
17:14, Tara Cobham
Boris Johnson was furious that Dominic Cummings is a “total and utter liar” after his confinement at Barnard’s Castle became public.
In messages shared with the Covid inquiry, dated July 19, 2021, Mr Johnson said: “Cummings is a total and utter liar. He never told me he had been in the Durham lockdown.
“I didn’t find out until the stories about Barnard’s Castle and so on came out. I believed Mary Wakefield when she wrote an article giving the impression that they had been in London all along.
“He later claimed that he had already told me that my brain became so cloudy because of Covid that I didn’t sign up.
“That’s true, I would have edited it.
“He never told me. So I did everything I could to protect him.
17:09, Tara Cobham
Boris Johnson has played down rumours of his wife Carrie leading the lockdown policy as “cre**ting”, according to the Covid poll.
In a final WhatsApp sent to Cummings on November 15, 2020, Johnson alleged that his now wife Carrie was to blame for the briefing against his former top aide, who had left No 10 two days earlier.
Mr. Johnson’s message read: “She told no one and my orders to everyone were to remain silent. How are we supposed to know where these reports come from? Look at the claims made on behalf of Lee’s allies (Cain ) and Dom, that I’m leaving in six months, that I can’t make decisions, that Carrie is secretly forging a lockdown policy, and about a billion other equally wild claims.
“Are you guilty of all this? No, look at it from my point of view. This is absolutely disgusting narcissism on the part of a government that is resolving a national crisis.
“We want to put an end to this. That’s why I tried to communicate and see what we can do together to sterilize everything. But if you refuse, it’s up to you.
Asked if he agreed that there was “narcissism” in government, Cummings replied to the Covid survey: “There certainly was. “
17:07, Tara Cobham
Dominic Cummings asked via Hugo Keith about Boris Johnson’s media appointments.
Cummings said: “There is a general feeling within Number 10 that the way the Prime Minister consistently responded to the media is incredibly bad and incredibly negative to the Covid response.
“The Telegraph has expressed considerations about its relationship with Barclays.
“And there were express considerations and suspicions of possible corruption in connection with the appointments with Osborne and the transfer of money to the Evening Standard. “
He said Boris Johnson spoke to and met Lord Lebedev in March 2020.
16:55, Tara Cobham
The lawyer for the inquest, Hugo Keith KC, told Dominic Cummings that he had “denigrated women” and “denigrated Helen McNamara” by sending her a misogynistic message.
Mr. Cummings replied, “No, that’s not right. He was not a misogynist.
“I’m much rude to men than I am to Helen.
“I recognize that my language is deplorable, however, as you can see for yourselves, I have used the same language, or worse, (for) the minister, the secretary of state or others.
“If you need to see how we deal with things, unlike Whitehall, I had two young women as underputs, I hired young women on the knowledge science team, on the Vote Leave campaign, I appointed a woman in her thirties as a leader. To the anger of many parliamentarians.
“So if you take a look at the truth of how I led the groups and how they were handed over along with the personal secretaries of number 10, you will see the truth about it. “
16:53, Tara Cobham
Dominic Cummings has apologised for his rude WhatsApp message about former Cabinet Undersecretary Helen MacNamara.
He said: “I apologise to Helen for my language, but the underlying madness of the stage at Issue 10 is a thousand times worse than my language. “
Cummings criticised Boris Johnson’s “failure” to replace senior officials from Number 10 and the Cabinet Office.
He said: “The prime minister first tried to sack the cabinet secretary, then his plan failed and he was still there. He then told everyone that he wanted Helen fired as well and that he had lost religion in Helena.
This meant that “we were in this surely nightmare scenario in which the prime minister had made it clear that he did not accept as true what either of the two senior officials did, he had told other people that he was going to fire them, and then not fire them. ” week in and week out. “
Mr Cummings said: “Now, my language about Helen (language is no doubt appalling and I actually got on well with Helen on a non-public point) yet the underlying factor at play is a thousand times worse than my coarse language: we had a Cabinet. The formula had surely vanished and the prime minister had half-initiated the procedure for a change of direction and then stopped it. “
16:51, Tara Cobham
Informal messages sent and won through Prime Minister Humza Yousaf during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he was justice secretary and health secretary, will be referred to the UK inquiry without being redacted, Deputy Prime Minister Shona Robison said.
“As the Prime Minister recently stated, if any of the Covid investigations wish to download more information, we expect each and every minister, present and present, any and all government officials and clinical advisers to comply,” he said.
“I can verify that the Prime Minister, when he submits his final report for Module 2A in the coming days, will hand over the WhatsApp messages, unedited, to the investigation. “
16:49, Tara Cobham
In another message, the investigation aired, Dominic Cummings said of former senior civil servant Helen MacNamara: “We want to get Helen out of CabOff. It’s actually freezing. She’s ruining me and my stuff. discomfort on multiple fronts.
“Can we bring her in on Monday to talk about her move to CLG or DFT?I have the distinct impression that MS is not acting temporarily and is looking to hold on while waiting to connect to the new CabSec and stay there. . . We want her as soon as possible. Building millions of beautiful homes.
16:47, Tara Cobham
16:46, Tara Cobham
Dominic Cummings won a series of messages in which he called former civil servant Helen MacNamara a “c***” and said he would “handcuff and escort” her from Downing Street.
The Covid-19 investigation has highlighted the derogatory messages Cummings sent to Boris Johnson’s former communications chief Lee Cain about the then-deputy cabinet secretary in 2020, in which he said he didn’t care “how it was done” but that “this woman had to be out of our league”.
Amid audible gasps in the press annex of the Covid investigation, the leader suggested that Hupass Keith KC read a message in which Mr Cummings said: “If I have to go back to Helen’s house with the PET, designed to waste so much time, then I may not spend it on other things: He passed by to handcuff her and escort her out of the building.
“I don’t care how it’s done, but this woman wants to be out of our reach; we can’t keep facing this terrible collapse of the British state while avoiding the stilettos of this shit. “
Cummings has denied being a misogynist.
The inquiry also heard that MacNamara and a fellow civil servant had written a report complaining about “toxic cultural disorders at No. 10, other people talking about young women, a sexist macho culture. “
The inquest heard that Cummings had described the taxi office, where Ms MacNamara worked, as “terrifying”.
16:37, Tara Cobham
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Shona Robinson said she could not provide details on what was or was not provided as part of the Covid investigations.
Addressing Holyrood, Robison said it was up to investigations to make a decision on what deserved to be published, following a dispute over the possible deletion of WhatsApp messages, adding reports that Nicola Sturgeon’s messages possibly would not have been retained.
“It should be noted that both investigations have directed all of their requests to witnesses confidentially and those requests are not public,” he said.
“All those who get requests,” the Scottish Government added, “have been pleaded with by researchers not to share their contents. It is entirely up to independent investigators – and it is entirely up to them – to determine, in any case, whether to publish the documents they obtain.
“The Scottish Government is required to comply with this requirement and, as such, I will not expressly provide the main points of the requests that the Scottish Government has won to date, adding express details of what has been asked of Americans who have won requests for investigations.
“I also can’t speak in detail about what curtains the Americans have or haven’t provided. “
16:35, Tara Cobham
Boris Johnson claimed on March 19, 2020 that the lockdown would “kill the patient to get the tumour”, Dominic Cummings claimed, accusing him of doubting the decision.
Johnson’s former senior adviser asked about an aide’s diary entry, attributed to the then-prime minister, that said: “We are killing the patient to fight the tumour. A giant number of other people (which means a giant number of other people) Who will die?Why are we destroying the economy of other people who will die soon anyway?
Hugo Keith KC, leader of Covid-19 research in the UK, asked Mr Cummings who had made this comment.
“I think it’s the prime minister,” Cummings said, saying this reflected the ongoing debate in Downing Street and that the Treasury was “baffled” by asking “why don’t we stick to” the plan.
When asked if there is a real challenge in convincing Mr. Johnson to settle for a course of action and stick to it, Mr. Cummings agreed that this is “the most important thing. “
He said: “On the 19th, it was clear that there would be a blockade. And my concern at the time was that if the Prime Minister suddenly lowered subsidies, it would only cause even more unnecessary confusion.
16:33, Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent
Boris Johnson’s sacking of Britain’s top civil servant Sir Mark Sedwill is “one of the most disastrous moments of 2020,” Cummings said.
Cummings said: “It’s an absolute disaster. But also, from a non-public point of view, very unfair to Mark. “
He claimed he had “played his part” in the Prime Minister’s loss of confidence in Sir Mark.
16:32, Tara Cobham
In a message sent to Boris Johnson via Dominic Cummings in May 2020, the most sensible adviser told the prime minister that Health Secretary Matt Hancock had “killed people”.
In a WhatsApp message shared with the inquiry, he said: “You have to think about the timing of the Hancock scrapping. There’s no way the guy is going to stay. He lied and killed other people and dozens and dozens of other people saw it. “.
“It’s going to have to go, when and who will update it. “
16:26, Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent
Dominic Cummings proved that it was Boris Johnson who said at an assembly on the pandemic: “Why are we destroying the economy for other people who will die soon anyway?
On Monday, the inquest heard that Johnson, according to a diary entry from a former personal secretary, had asked why the economy was being destroyed “for other people who will die soon anyway,” days before the country goes to war. confinement.
Imran Shafi’s diary entry, which he attributes to Mr Johnson, said: “We killed the patient to fight the tumour. A giant number of other people (meaning a giant number of other people) who will die, why are we destroying the economy of other people who will die soon anyway.
Asked Tuesday about the identity of the author of this comment, Cummings replied: “I think it was the prime minister. “
16:25, Tara Cobham
Dominic Cummings warned Boris Johnson about the NHS implosion “like a zombie apocalypse movie”, according to the British Covid-19 inquiry.
Convening meetings on the crisis in the Cabinet House, Mr Johnson’s former senior adviser said in a WhatsApp message to the then prime minister on March 12, 2020: “The crushing danger here is that we will be delayed and the NHS will implode like a zombie apocalypse movie, without arriving a week early.
Asked about the message, Cummings said the new NHS insights he had noticed revealed “that the crisis as a whole will come much, much, much faster than we’ve been told. “
16:08, Matt Mathers
The Covid investigation revealed a text from Dominic Cummings to Lee Cain that said then-Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill was “prattling on about chickenpox,” reports Archie Mitchell.
“us, us,” Mr. Cummings added.
The former chief of staff at Number 10 asked what the senior official was saying about chickenpox.
He said there was an assembly at the Prime Minister’s Office on the day the message was sent, March 12, 2020. “The cabinet secretary told the prime minister, ‘Prime minister, you deserve to be on TV and you have to. ‘”It’s like the old days with chickenpox, and other people go on to have chickenpox parties and faster a lot of other people go through to get chickenpox and get chickenpox out.
better.
“This analogy had been discussed before and I said, ‘Mark, you deserve to avoid this analogy with chickenpox parties. ‘”
Cummings said it was “frightening” that a senior official reported that Covid was similar to chickenpox.
16:05, Matt Mathers
Matt Hancock “wreaked havoc” by insisting in March 2020 that other people without symptoms of dry cough and fever were unlikely to contract coronavirus, Dominic Cummings said.
Hugo Keith KC, the UK’s chief representative for Covid-19 research, asked Boris Johnson’s former senior adviser if he had been heard in Downing Street, despite claims by the then health secretary that there was actually asymptomatic transmission.
Mr. Cummings replied: “That the case and Mr. Hancock had raised this point with many tactics and caused chaos by saying this.
“Patrick Vallance told him several times that what he was saying was wrong, but he kept repeating it.
“So, this fake meme got lodged in people’s minds. I don’t get it, I never understood why Hancock said that. But Patrick Vallance made it very clear to me and the other members of Number 10 that what Hancock was saying was factually false.
16:03, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings said conversations such as the garage of a “large number of corpses” at ice rinks “exploded” in the week beginning March 9, 2020, the UK’s Covid-19 investigation has learned.
Responding to a question about whether he was convinced that the herd immunity technique was not the right way to go, Mr Cummings said: “During the week beginning on the 9th. . . I had doubts that developed throughout the hour.
“On the 11th I had the terrible feeling that I was facing one of those historic disasters, like that of July 1914. A lot of wise people come up to me and say: a) basically, the strategy is: wrong, poorly designed, but also on a practical level.
“At the time, I was sitting in a workplace and all of a sudden I heard other people calling to see if the local government could book ice rinks and ask trucks to send a large number of corpses and store them on the rinks.
“These conversations exploded in the week of the 9th.
“So, on the one hand, a basic argument is that the strategy is either ill-conceived or not, but we’ve also had this kind of escalating cascade of nightmare conversations around us where we’ve learned that the formula is absolutely out of the question. in terms of managing their problems. Initial Plan A. “
15:51, Matt Mathers
15:45, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings claimed that the government’s Covid plan “Contain, delay, mitigate”, published in March 2020, is “practically a joke”, reports Archie Mitchell.
The former Number 10 staff leader said there was a feeling in Downing Street: “wait a second, we’ve been told we’re the most productive prepared people in the world. . . This document is more of a joke. “
“What the hell is going on?” Added.
He said the action plan is one of “many documents” showing the government is “far off the pace” in the fight against Covid.
15:27, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings said that in February 2020 Covid was perceived as a “distant problem” and not an “immediate crisis”, with Boris Johnson and other senior officials on holiday, reports Archie Mitchell.
Asked why the Prime Minister did not receive any information between February 14 and 24, Cummings replied that he did not “consider it an imminent crisis. “
He told the Covid inquiry: “I didn’t go on holiday, but a lot of other people were on holiday at the time. “
He added that it is “crazy” that so many senior officials, including the prime minister, were on vacation. “In fact, there has been a major crisis,” he said.
15:07, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings said that without a strengthened testing and tracing system, the final borders would have been enough to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
But he said: “That’s part of the heart of the problem, but the other part of the centre is that if you look at it in a fatalistic way, which is what the DH (Department of Health), the Cabinet Office and Sage did in the beginning, and you think there’s no effective option for herd immunity.
“If you say that on a general conceptual level, there’s A: to draw a curve to herd immunity, or B: to look to get out of the problem, the total formula in January, February and early March, the idea that the only credible technique to do that is to shape the herd immunity curve.
“Nobody imagined it was practical to get out of trouble.
“The basic change we took to get out of this instead of fatalistically accepting it. “
14:55, Matt Mathers
The government was operating on the premise that lockdown was “unimaginable in a Western country” when Covid hit, Dominic Cummings revealed, reports Archie Mitchell.
Responding to questions about the government’s preparedness for a second wave, after mitigating a first wave with lockdown measures, Cummings said: “There was an assumption within government, within the Cabinet Office, within the Department of Health and Sage, that lockdown was in a Western country. “
14:52, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings has criticised the way Caprice Bourret criticised the style for calling for the UK’s borders to be closed when Covid hit, reports Archie Mitchell.
“A lot of other people and public fitness experts laughed at her like she was an idiot,” Cummings said in the Covid survey.
He was referring to Caprice’s showdown with Dr. Sarah Jarvis on TV about the pandemic, about whether Britain deserves to close its borders to control the pandemic.
“At the time, a lot of other people reacted by saying that the last borders were racist,” Cummings added.
14:34, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings said there was “no plan, and no plan to have a plan” for Covid vulnerable people, reports Archie Mitchell.
The former Downing Street staff leader said the full factor of vulnerable people “has been almost completely overlooked in appalling ways” during the pandemic.
And he described the realization, on March 19, 2020, that there was no plan for those who needed to protect themselves from the disease.
14:26, Matt Mathers
Cummings says Sage scientists were “collectively” on board with the government’s plan to seek herd immunity against Covid until September 2020, Mitchell reports.
“A lot of other people at Sage actually gave interviews that week to articulate this Plan A strategy,” Cummings said in the Covid survey.
14:23, Matt Mathers
Cummings said at the inquiry that he was looking for the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, and not Boris Johnson, to deal with devolved administrations (DAs) in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Explaining why he didn’t need Johnson to participate in Cobra-style briefings, Cummings said, “If meetings are held to find out the truth, then meetings like that need to be conducted in a very different way.
“They can’t do this kind of thing with 50 other people in video conference with prosecutors. “
14:18, Matt Mathers
Cummings said at the inquest that 10 Downing Street was not adequately stocked to deal with a crisis of Covid proportions.
After complaining about not having good enough staff, Cumming was asked why it was mandatory for “his colleagues, his friends” to be appointed to the government during the crisis.
He said “part of the point” of Shinner’s arrival in government was that he “knew he had been concerned in the Cabinet Office” about arrangements for a no-deal Brexit.
Mr. Shinner Director of Policy and Benefits Coordination of the Department for Exiting the European Union.
His leadership led DExEU’s work to coordinate the internal political implications of exiting, across ministries, to seize opportunities and ensure a smooth exit process.
14:07, Matt Mathers
10 Downing Street “was not created to be the nerve centre of a national crisis like Covid”, Dominic Cummings claimed in the Covid investigation, reports Archie Mitchell.
Boris Johnson’s former chief of staff said Downing Street has no physical compatibility for the task, in terms of staff and power.
“So, at the time, it just wasn’t for that, and that’s why I tried to replace it,” Cummings said.
14:05, Matt Mathers
Cummings said in the investigation that Johnson “preferred to be in his office” than attend Cobra’s emergency Covid meetings.
The minister at the time was “not very enthusiastic” about Cobra, his former adviser added.
When asked through the investigation’s lead counsel, Hugo Keith KC, if Mr Johnson was opposed to attending the assembly because of his physical location, Mr Cummings replied: “It’s hard to say. I mean, he actually liked being at his workplace and he didn’t like going to Cobra.
13:56, Matt Mathers
The evidence consultation has resumed and Keith now asks Cummings about the role of the government’s Cobra in pandemic meetings.
Cummings told the inquiry that the emergency committee did not serve as well in the crisis for “a number of reasons. “
He says one reason is that the knowledge that reaches the Cobra assembly is “tightly controlled” for national security reasons. Cummings adds that the committee was used to dealing with “relatively small things” such as “floods” and “terrorist attacks. “with only a few more people involved, than national crises.
13:46, Lydia Patrick
Deborah Lewis, founder of Covid19 Families UK, expressed her thoughts on Sky News and says she still can’t move on after the loss of her father.
She said: “Had more been done sooner, maybe more of those we enjoyed would have survived.
“The bereaved, we know we can’t get our loved ones back, but what we can do is hope and pray that lessons will be learned so that other people in the future don’t have to go through the devastation and pain that we’ve been through.
“We are still crying, heartbroken and unable to move forward with the government’s actions. “
13:40, Lydia Patrick
Brenda Doherty, whose mother died aged 82 in March 2020 after contracting Covid-19 in hospital, said reading Boris Johnson’s comments about older people during the pandemic was like receiving a “punch in the gut”.
Speaking as part of Covid-19 campaign organisation Bereaved Families for Justice UK, he accused the former minister of having a “callous and brutal attitude”.
She said: “I feel like I’ve been punched after reading Boris Johnson’s messages this morning.
“They’re psychotic. “
She added: “He obviously didn’t see other people like my mother as human beings, and thousands more died needlessly after the same mistakes were repeated because of Johnson’s callous and brutal attitude.
“I would do anything to spend a day with my mother, and now we know that we could have spent years and years together if the country had had a more humane prime minister when the pandemic hit. “
13:35, Lydia Patrick
The government has made a “big mistake” with Marcus Rashford’s flexible food campaign, a former key adviser to Boris Johnson has claimed, lamenting the lack of diversity among policymakers.
The prime minister at the time said that “starving children” were not the starting point for contemplating the restriction of public finances in the context of the pandemic, said former No. 10 communications director Lee Cain.
Cain said there was a distinct lack of diversity in the prime minister’s leadership team when it came to informing policy and decision-making.
In a letter addressed to the UK’s Covid-19 investigation, Cain said: “I don’t forget to ask 20 other people in the Cabinet room, how many other people had won free school meals. No one had done so, which led to a political blind spot. That was a big mistake.
“The Prime Minister (to some extent understandable) said that we want to draw a line in the sand on public spending commitments, but obviously this is not the position to draw that line, what he was told by his leadership team. “
Testifying on Tuesday, Cain said: “It is very clear that there were demanding situations around gender diversity, socio-economic diversity and ethnic minority diversity in the more sensible part of the Prime Minister’s team. »
13:30, Lydia Patrick
13:20, Lydia Patrick
Dominic Cummings described the Cabinet Office as a “bomb site” and a “dumpster fire” when he took over as an adviser to Boris Johnson, in his testimony before the UK’s Covid-19 investigation.
13:13, Lydia Patrick
When asked if there were any components of the government machinery where he “found no fault with it,” Mr. Cummings replied, “In the summer of 2020, I spent a lot of time talking to the Special Forces and I think they were exceptional. “”.
After being asked by Mr Keith about designing in a position to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Cummings said: “I would say that, overall, it’s a widespread failure, but the portfolio of wonderful people and the portfolio of wonderful people groups are doing a wonderful job within the company. An overall dysfunctional system.
13:05, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings has said that “almost everyone” called Boris Johnson the pandemic bandwagon, reports Archie Mitchell.
During the Covid investigation, the former prime minister’s former chief of staff asked how he, the cabinet secretary, his communications director and others had used the term “about his propensity to replace management”.
Mr. Cummings replied, “I almost call it the wagon. “
13:02, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings said there was “a group of wonderful people and a group of wonderful groups doing a wonderful job” in handling the pandemic, Mitchell reports.
But the former Downing Street leader said the measures were rooted in “a dysfunctional overall system”.
12:59 p. m. , Matt Mathers
Cummings said in the inquiry that there were “a lot of other bad people at work” in the Cabinet Office, and described a culture of “constantly filing everything away to hide mistakes. “
“The Cabinet Office, for a long time, has amassed more and more power, whether formal or informal,” he said.
“It’s swelled up unbelievably. This has made it possible to win a very large number of people, a very large number of teams. And most notably, far and wide, the deep state, national security and crisis control have become, in many ways, incredibly opaque and, in reality, utterly invisible to any political figure, the Prime Minister added.
“So it’s incredibly complicated to know at number 10 who exactly in the Cabinet Office is doing what, who’s responsible, who we intended to communicate with to take action and that’s critical, that is, in the first few months (of the pandemic).
12:56 p. m. , Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings sent an email to the staff at Number 10 in May 2020 saying that Boris Johnson “spends too much time on meetings”, Mitchell reports.
“We don’t make smart use of the prime minister’s time. “Johnson’s former leader said in the early months of the pandemic.
In the email sent to the Covid investigation, Cummings called for any Covid briefings to be legal through him or official Tom Shinner, among a host of other changes.
“Without radical changes, new mistakes are guaranteed,” Cummings added.
12:49 p. m. , Matt Mathers
12:47 p. m. , Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings has said it is “insane” to have appointed Number 10 staff leader under Boris Johnson, reports Archie Mitchell.
When asked at the official Covid inquiry if this was a view he still shared, Mr Cummings replied: “Sure. “
12:46 p. m. , Matt Mathers
Cummings said in the inquiry that it “reflects a widely shared view” when he used profanity-laden descriptions of cabinet ministers.
Hugo Keith KC, the lead representative of the investigation, said, “We’re going to have to give our language a little boost” as he read some of the language used through Mr. Cummings on WhatsApp and in emails. adding “useless”, fools, bastard.
“I apologize,” Mr. Cummings said.
When asked through Mr Keith whether he had contributed to the lack of power on the part of ministers, Mr Cummings replied: “No, I think he was reflecting a view widely shared among other competent people in the midst of the force at the time. “about the scale of the many projects. Seniors and others who have gone through very difficult times during this crisis.
12:42 p. m. , Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings has claimed that Britain’s top official, the Cabinet Secretary, is between 10 and 100 times tougher than any other minister (the prime minister), reports Archie Mitchell.
The former Downing Street leader said the media “are trying to cover up this fact”.
Cummings also said the Prime Minister’s personal secretary was “far more powerful” than anyone else in the Prime Minister’s cabinet.
12:33, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings has been questioned for calling his colleagues “pigs, morons and dead c***s”, with the chief suggested for Covid research, Hugo Keith KC, asking if his “disgusting” language contributes to the lack of ministers. efficiency. Archie Mitchell reports.
“My dreadful language is my own,” Mr. Cummings said.
But he added that it “reflects a widely shared view among other competent people in the midst of power. “
12:29 p. m. , Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings asked to “slow down” when he began testifying at the inquest.
Boris Johnson’s former chief of staff is being questioned about his role in government during the Covid pandemic.
12:23, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain’s description of Covid as the “bad crisis” for Boris Johnson “a crisis that is not new”, said The Independent’s chief political commentator, John Rentoul.
“At the inquiry I could hear Caino’s words for years: ‘This is not the right crisis for this prime minister’s abilities,'” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
During the hearing, I can hear Caino’s words for years: “This is not the right crisis for this Prime Minister’s abilities. “
– John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) October 31, 2023
12:13, Matt Mathers
Boris Johnson said “hungry children” were not the starting point for contemplating tightening public finances in the context of the pandemic, Caine said in the inquiry, describing the government’s “big mistake” around Marcus Rashford’s flexible school food campaign.
Lee Cain said there is a distinct lack of diversity within the prime minister’s leadership team when it comes to informing policy and decision-making.
In a letter to the inquiry, Mr. Cain said: “I do not forget to ask in the Cabinet room, in front of 20 other people, how many other people had won free school meals. No one had done so, which led to a political blind spot. That was a big mistake.
“The Prime Minister (to some extent understandable) said that we want to draw a line in the sand on public spending commitments, but obviously this is not the position to draw that line, what he was told by his leadership team. “
12:08 p. m. , Matt Mathers
Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries revealed that Boris Johnson was looking for other older people to “accept his fate” and let young people “get on with their lives and run the economy”, reports Archie Mitchell.
The former scientific adviser recalled a series of “crazy” exchanges with the prime minister and said he believed Covid was “just the herbal way to treat the elderly”.
12:01 p. m. , Matt Mathers
Boris Johnson has been accused via Dominic Cummings of having “useless pigs” in his head in an email with profanity in which he suggested sacking several ministers, reports Archie Mitchell.
The former prime minister reported through his then chief of staff, Mr Cummings, that the idea of the so-called Westminster “bubble” had “looked the other way” in August 2020.
Cummings told him he was “happy to have dead pigs in the lead” and accused the “savage” cabinet members of leaking data to the press.
“Leaving Hancock in the workplace is a grave mistake — he’s a proven liar that no one is or deserves anything,” Cummings told Johnson.
He went on to call Mr Hancock along with Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace and Liz Truss “troublesome fugitives”.
And he pointed to the “second-rate leaks” that afflict the government.
11:57, Matt Mathers
It would be “unfair” to criticise Boris Johnson for failing to make it clear to those experiencing domestic violence that they were not required to stay at home during Covid restrictions, his former communications lead said.
Lee Cain said in the UK’s Covid-19 survey that the government had done “everything possible” to talk to teams and sectors about the urgent issues of the pandemic.
The inquiry’s lawyer, Andrew O’Connor KC, asked him about complaints that the then-prime minister had failed to address other people threatened with domestic violence at press meetings aimed at spreading the stay-at-home message.
Cain said: “I think it would be unfair to criticise the Prime Minister on this specific issue. I mean, it would depend on whether he’d been informed, if there’s anything specific that we wanted to convey. “
11:53, Matt Mathers
Boris Johnson’s push for staff to return to their offices during the pandemic “didn’t make any sense at all”, his former communications lead has said, reports Archie Mitchell.
Lee Cain said in the Covid survey that “companies weren’t even asking other people to go back to work. “”On the other hand, they encouraged their workers to stay home,” he said.
He added, “To me, it didn’t make sense. “
11:51, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain said tension from right-wing Tories and the print media “supported” Boris Johnson’s indecision over whether to implement a “circuit breaker” lockdown in autumn 2020, Mitchell reports.
Johnson’s former communications lead said in the Covid inquiry that the former prime minister was “divided on this issue” and reportedly called on Britain to “open up the beaches” in his previous role as a columnist.
“I think this is part of the explanation for this oscillation, because the inflexible measures were contrary to their political DNA,” Cain said.
11:47, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings has said he was forced to sit down with Boris Johnson for hours to “stop him from saying stupid things” in insulting WhatsApp messages revealed today by the Covid-19 inquiry.
On a crucial day, Mr. Johnson, Lee Cain, will testify, followed by Mr. Cummings, the former prime minister’s staff leader during the pandemic.
The investigation showed WhatsApp messages sent via Mr Cummings to Mr Cain saying that the former Prime Minister had reverted to “Jaws w***” mode and was “exhausted” looking at things for Mr Cain. Johnson.
Joe Middleton reports:
Explosive WhatsApp Messages Reveal Cummings’ Secret, Crude Tirades About Johnson
11:46, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain said at the official Covid inquiry that government decision-making was being delayed due to a lack of diversity, Mitchell reports.
The former Downing Street communications leader said one of the demanding situations faced by officials and ministers was the dynamics of the room, in which the pandemic was white and middle-aged.
This has affected groups such as divided families, who according to Cain, were at risk of “going through the cracks” of government policy.
11:39, Matt Mathers
Cain said at the inquiry that he “strongly” supported the “Stay at home, NHS, save lives” lockdown message campaign, and admitted to disagreeing with a committee of behavioural scientists.
The former communications director for Number 10 described the message as “considered one of the toughest public health campaigns in living memory. “
He said concentration teams and surveys were used to inform the campaign, rather than the “slightly questionable” concepts of the Independent Scientific Panel for the Analysis of Pandemic Behavior (SPI-B), adding that “behavioral science is not correct. “
Mr. Cain said at the inquest: “I think the general opinion was questionable as to some of Spi-B’s ideas, so I didn’t have a lot of relationships with them at the time and I didn’t locate the kind of relationships that I established, specifically useful.
“We had a quick study cycle that we did through focus groups, through surveys, things that we’d seen, you know, that we used seamlessly in political campaigns that were incredibly effective. “
11:09 a. m. , Matt Mathers
Indecision was an “issue” in Downing Street during the pandemic and may be “worse than a bad decision”, Boris Johnson’s former communications leader said, reports Archie Mitchell.
Lee Cain said at the UK’s Covid-19 inquiry: “Lack of resolution can be worse than poor resolution in certain circumstances.
And I think indecision is probably a Covid issue that other people struggled with inside No. 10. “
But the longtime adviser also defended the former prime minister’s difficulty in making a resolution on the first Covid lockdown, saying in a statement that it was “to some extent understandable” that he would “occasionally oscillate” between lockdown of the country and other possible measures. . policy options.
Cain said at the inquiry: “I would say it’s pretty straightforward for advisers like me to say that the Prime Minister has done X, that the Prime Minister has done Y.
“I think it’s probably one of the most important peacetime decisions that the prime minister has had to make in recent years, and it obviously weighs heavily on him. And I think it’s him and him who has to make that decision, so it’s understandable that he’s struggled with that. “
He added that Johnson’s indecision about the timing of lockdown is “a little harder to defend. “
11:00 a. m. , Matt Mathers
Boris Johnson has tied the knot with ‘Jaws w**k’ to talk about how the government is handling Covid, wondering if the mayor of the hit shark attack film was right to keep beaches open, reports Archie Mitchell.
A message sent via Dominic Cummings at the start of the pandemic revealed the former Downing Street staff leader’s frustration with Boris Johnson’s approach, as well as the “wagon stop”, a reference to the then-prime minister.
“Rishi says bond markets may not fund our debt, etc. , and he’s back in Jaws w**k mode,” Cummings said.
In a rant of profanity, he said, “I’ve literally said the same thing ten times and I may not have absorbed it yet. I’m tired of just talking to him and stopping the car. “
10:56, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain said Covid was “the crisis for this prime minister’s skills”, adding that Boris Johnson “often delayed decision-making” and “changed his mind about issues”, reports Archie Mitchell.
“Sometimes in politics, that can be a wonderful strength,” Cain said in the official Covid inquiry, citing Brexit as an example.
“If you’re in something like Covid, you want quick decisions and you want other people to follow suit,” Cain said.
“So I felt like it wasn’t a challenge for him,” she added.
10:44, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain, Boris Johnson’s former communications chief, said he recognised a “lack of leadership” and “chaos” in government, Mitchell reports.
The lawyer in charge of the Covid investigation, Andrew O’Connor KC, explained to him: “The issue of lack of leadership, chaos, so to speak, is it one that you agree with?The longtime assistant replied, “Yes. “
10:33, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain saw a WhatsApp message sent through Dominic Cummings during the pandemic that described the Cabinet Office as “terribly shitty,” Archie Mitchell reports.
The former Downing Street communications chief said he agreed but “wouldn’t use that language”.
Cummings’ message to Boris Johnson read: “We are in for big messes, the Cabinet is extraordinary rubbish, there are no plans, it is fully programmed. “
Johnson’s former leader went on to say that Johnson. Cain and other political aides should “lead and lead. “
10:31, Matt Mathers
As we reported, Lee Cain attests to the Covid research.
Dominic Cumming will arrive later this morning.
We will provide updates from the session. You can also watch the debates live on The Independent’s YouTube channel.
10:28, Matt Mathers
Boris Johnson had no “clear goal” in March 2020 and no “serious plan” to deal with the pandemic, Lee Cain, Archie Mitchell claimed.
Referring to an action plan published by the government on March 3, Cain said: “Anyone who reads the document will see that this is a plan to deal with Covid.
“It’s a very limited view of how we’re going to manage the virus if it progresses. “
10:24, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain stressed for Boris Johnson the importance of “not overreacting” to the onset of the pandemic in January 2020, comparing it to viruses such as swine flu, Mitchell reports.
“He was concerned that the government would be dragged into some kind of media hysteria, overreact, and cause more harm than it would otherwise,” Cain said at the official Covid inquiry.
A message sent through Mr. Cain in early March read: “He doesn’t think it’s serious and he doesn’t think anything can be done and his attention is elsewhere. He thinks it’s going to be like swine flu and he thinks his biggest danger is pushing the economy [sic] into a recession. “
“Yes, the prime minister deserved to have done more,” Mr. Cain said at the inquest.
10:14, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain said Covid was noticed in January 2020 as a “low priority” and just “one of many” issues discussed in Downing Street, Mitchell reports.
The former communications official said only the “most difficult” issues were addressed at factor 10, but added that Health Ministry officials closely monitored it.
But he added: “During the months of January and February, it’s clear that we were given the wrong assessment, but I think you can probably understand why we made the decisions we did at that time. “
10:12, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain has begun to vouch for it from Covid research.
He questioned his role as head of communications and adviser to the Prime Minister.
He said he had a date with Johnson when asked if the two men were friends.
Below is a deeper look at the GP who is at the heart of the UK’s Covid response:
Who is Lee Cain? A Closer Look at the Advertising Doctor Who Sparked the 10th Protest
09:55, Matt Mathers
Rishi Sunak said the King’s speech would focus on measures to “develop the economy, society and keep other people safe”.
Opening a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday morning, the minister said the recently concluded parliamentary consultation had been “historic” and would have a “huge impact”.
“But we will not stop it, we will continue to show the country that we are ambitious in what we have to achieve. “
The King will open Parliament’s new consultation on 7 November.
09:40, Matt Mathers
Boris Johnson did “everything he could” to talk about Covid at the start of the pandemic, a former Conservative health minister claimed.
Lord Bethell told Radio 4’s Today programme that it was “very difficult” to get a reaction from Downing Street when the virus began to take hold in late January or early February 2020.
Lord Bethell, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Health, from March 2020 to September 2021.
09:21, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain arrived for their box office appearances during the Covid investigation.
The two former aides to Boris Johnson arrived at Dorlan House in central London, dressed in jackets, shirts and ties.
Cain testified first at 10 a. m. , followed by Cummings, whose consultation is expected to continue into the afternoon.
BREAKING: Dominic Cummings arrives at COVID investigation to testify https://t. co/DGvZfzHCUe? Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic. twitter. com/cAMnuUMRIi
– Sky News (@SkyNews) October 31, 2023
09:10, Matt Mathers
A former Conservative fitness minister said Monday’s hearings as part of the Covid investigation were “very frightening” and “highlight a culture that has gone seriously wrong”, reports Archie Mitchell.
After a series of WhatsApp messages between senior officials revealed that Boris Johnson’s “change of course” on key decisions made it “impossible” to combat the pandemic, Lord Bethell called the culture in Downing Street “appalling”.
Referring to Mr Johnson, who appointed him Health Secretary in March 2020, Lord Betell said: “He is one hundred per cent consistent with leadership. Cultures are explained through the other people at the top.
“Yesterday we saw and heard a lot about Boris Johnson’s taste of leadership and his limitations. “
He told the BBC: “I found it very frightening. . . And what it shows is a work culture that has gone seriously wrong, where bullying and chaotic habit have become normalized, and that’s the most egregious culture when it comes to organizing organizations. “National reaction to a pandemic.
09:05, Matt Mathers
Sir Keir Starmer will compete for airtime with Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings when he delivers a speech in the London primaries in which he will outline the party’s stance on Israel’s war against Hamas, reports Archie Mitchell.
The Labour leader hopes to end a dispute that has developed within his party since the terror group’s fatal attacks this month, calling for humanitarian pauses and a ceasefire.
He will argue that a permanent ceasefire may simply lead to more violence in Israel and Gaza, while humanitarian pauses may simply pave the way for the resumption of a political procedure to seek peace through a two-state solution.
Sir Keir oversaw the suspension of Labour MP Andy McDonald’s whip, after saying: “We will rest until we have justice, until all peoples, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea, can live in freedom and peace. “
A Labour Party spokesperson called the comments “deeply offensive”.
And he resisted pressure from several prominent parliamentarians who broke ranks to call for a ceasefire, contrary to his policy.
This comes as the party fears a hemorrhage among the Muslim electorate due to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
09:00, Matt Mathers
A Conservative minister claimed that civil servants Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain also sent “embarrassing” WhatsApp messages about former prime ministers, Mitchell reports.
Transport Secretary Richard Holden did this after messages released through the Covid-19 inquiry on Monday showed that Britain’s most sensible civil servant had called Boris Johnson’s government a “tragic joke”.
Holden told Times Radio: “If there had been conversations between other people and they had been recorded as they are on WhatsApp, it would be just as embarrassing.
“Would Churchill and Chamberlain have faced what their colleagues said about them on X or Y Day?I’m sure they would have.
08:51, Matt Mathers
Dominic Cummings trolled Matt Hancock by posting a clip of the former fitness secretary receiving an abuse tirade on an episode of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
In an insulting and heated exchange, one of the show’s trainers accuses Hancock, who served as fitness secretary during the pandemic, of being a know-it-all.
She also describes him as a “sarcastic little jerk” who just “talks, talks, talks. “
Posting an excerpt of the exchange on his X page, ahead of her appearance at the inquest, Cummings wrote: “She speaks for England and remarkably likes some WhatsApp from around Whitehall at the time. “
Warning: The clip under profanity:
she speaks on behalf of England and remarkably likes some WhatsApps from all over Whitehall at the time https://t. co/vmcn4yWvXc
– Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) October 30, 2023
08:35, Matt Mathers
It has been revealed that one of Boris Johnson’s most sensible aides has made messages “disappear” at a key Covid WhatsApp organisation just weeks after the former prime minister promised a public inquiry into Covid.
Martin Reynolds asked about the replacement of the feature to delete posts in the then-Prime Minister’s organization in April 2021, just after Reynolds inquired about the replacement of the feature to delete messages in the then-Prime Minister’s organization. Johnson announced an investigation, while testifying Monday.
Adam Forrest reports:
Former Number 10 chief admits he “disappeared” from messages in Prime Minister’s WhatsApp chat group
08:15, Matt Mathers
Boris Johnson’s former aide Martin Reynolds struggled to answer questions in today’s Covid survey. But with Dominic Cummings set to testify, it may be Johnson and Rishi Sunak who will soon squirm, writes Sean O’Grady.
Read Sean’s full article here:
Why did the WhatsApp messages from N°10 disappear?
07:55, Matt Mathers
07:40, Matt Mathers
A series of scathing WhatsApp messages sent between Boris Johnson’s most sensible groups accused the former prime minister of making the fight against Covid “impossible”, creating chaos and replacing the address “every day”.
The ordinary messages sent between Dominic Cummings, Lee Cain, and Simon Case reveal the wonderful fear among Mr. Cummings’ advisers. Johnson, Mr. Case, Cabinet Secretary and senior official, noting at one point: “I’m at the end of my term. “
Archie Mitchell reports:
The current WhatsApps that reveal the “chaos” of Boris Johnson’s government
07:25, Matt Mathers
Lee Cain was scheduled to appear before the inquest yesterday, but his hearing was delayed because Martin Reynolds’ evidence was outdated.
Cain is scheduled to appear first at 10 a. m. According to the schedule of the investigation, the hearing of the former leader of the Cummings will continue in the afternoon, beyond 2 p. m. m.
Yesterday, Cummings described himself as one of the toughest chief of staff of all time.
07:07, Matt Mathers
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s policy on Covid research.
Lee Cain, former communications director, and Dominic Cummings, former leader of Boris Johnson’s closest aides, are due to testify today.
Yesterday, Martin Reynolds, former senior personal secretary, and Imran Sahfi, personal secretary for public services, gave the impression ahead of the inquiry.
The following is a summary of Monday’s testimony:
Boris’s about-face has made the fight against Covid “impossible”, advisers’ messages reveal
07:00, Tara Cobham
06:00, Tara Cobham
Senior suggestive Hugo Keith KC referred to comments heard in the past through Covid research describing M’s “ridiculous about-face”. Johnson – a note from former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance – and the government that sounds like a “terrible and tragic joke”, claimed through Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.
Aher said “we have a weak and indecisive prime minister,” but specified who made the comment.
Mr. Keith told Mr. Keith’s former senior personal secretary. Johnson, Martin Reynolds: “In the face of a viral pandemic, if those perspectives are correct, it’s a profoundly unfortunate position, isn’t it?
Mr. Reynolds replied, “Yes. “
The country was in a “deeply unfortunate position” when the pandemic hit, with a “weak and indecisive prime minister” at the helm, according to the Covid survey.
05:00 , Tara Cobham
It has been revealed that one of Boris Johnson’s most sensible aides has made messages “disappear” at a key Covid WhatsApp organisation just weeks after the former prime minister promised a public inquiry into Covid.
Martin Reynolds asked about the replacement of the feature to delete posts in the then-Prime Minister’s organization in April 2021, just after Reynolds inquired about the replacement of the feature to delete messages in the then-Prime Minister’s organization. Johnson announced an investigation, while testifying Monday.
Reynolds, Johnson’s leader’s personal secretary, said at the inquest that he “doesn’t know exactly why I did it,” before adding that he didn’t believe it was to “prevent” the investigation from accessing the messages.
Adam Forrest, political correspondent, reports:
Former Number 10 chief admits he “disappeared” from messages in Prime Minister’s WhatsApp chat group
04:45, Shweta Sharma
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has said he has not deleted WhatsApp messages related to the Covid-19 pandemic, following press reports that his predecessor and senior officials may have had.
Last week, a memo addressed to the chairman of the UK’s Covid-19 inquiry through one of his lawyers said the inquiry believed the “majority” of casual messages, on WhatsApp, “had not been retained”.
The First Minister said on Monday that he had kept his posts, but that there was a Scottish government policy on social media posts that called for them to be removed after 30 days.
I kept my WhatsApp messages similar to the Covid pandemic, says Humza Yousaf
04:14 , Shweta Sharma
An internal report on culture in the upper echelons of government during the early months of the pandemic found that female staff were “discussed and ignored” and that “bad behaviour” was tolerated by senior managers.
The report, written by former senior adviser Martin Reynolds and then-deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara, was drafted in May 2020 amid considerations of discipline, “sexist behaviour” and misogyny, the British Covid-19 inquiry learned yesterday.
Published as part of a batch of documents applicable to the investigation, the report asked more than forty-five people who have worked intensively with Number 10 what could be done to promote the prime minister in May 2020.
Women were ‘discussed and ignored’, according to UK Covid report
04:00 , Tara Cobham
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