COVID inquiry: No 10 in ‘complete chaos’ as COVID hit and vulnerable ‘appallingly neglected’ – Cummings
There was no shielding plan early in the pandemic and vulnerable groups were “appallingly neglected” as a “fatalistic” approach took hold in Downing Street, Dominic Cummings has claimed.
The former chief aide to Boris Johnson, who described Downing Street as being in “complete chaos”, was asked to what degree decision-makers considered ethnic minority groups, domestic abuse victims and others in the run-up to imposing a national lockdown.
Mr Cummings told the COVID inquiry: “I would say that that entire question was almost entirely appallingly neglected by the entire planning system.”
COVID inquiry latest: PM ‘obsessed with older people accepting their fate’
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He said “one of the most appalling things” was the lack of a shielding plan in March 2020 “and the Cabinet Office was trying to block us creating a shielding plan”.
Mr Cummings, one of the most senior advisers in government during the first wave of the pandemic, also told the inquiry that strict border controls and the rapid expansion of testing could have had a “much better” outcome for saving lives and the economy than lockdowns.
But he said a “fatalistic” approach had gripped the government, which did not envisage attempting to create new systems to control the spread of coronavirus.
“No one thought it was really practical to build our way out of the problem,” he said.
“The fundamental U-turn that we shifted to, was to try and build our way out of it instead of fatalistically accepting it.”
Mr Cummings also described how attitudes around whether to change to a lockdown strategy in March were not suddenly changed.
He said “this was all complete chaos” about when various aspects of government decided a lockdown was necessary, rather than managing COVID in the community.
The inquiry also heard:
• There were conversations in early March 2020 – weeks before the national lockdown – about whether local authorities could book out ice rinks and hire trucks to carry and store “massive numbers of bodies”;
• Matt Hancock “sowed chaos” by continuing to insist in March 2020 that people without symptoms of a dry cough and a temperature were unlikely to be suffering from coronavirus;
• Everyone in Downing Street called Mr Johnson an indecisive “trolley”
• Mr Cummings warned Mr Johnson of the NHS imploding “like a zombie apocalypse film” on 12 March, 12 days before lockdown was implemented
Mr Cummings was called to give evidence after former communications director Lee Cain.
Mr Cain said the former prime minister was indecisive over lockdowns because “the rump of the Tory party” did not like the strict measures.
Notes from former scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance were read out in which it was said that Mr Johnson agreed with his MPs that COVID was “nature’s way of dealing with old people”.
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The two hearing laid bare the chaos and dysfunction in government as coronavirus presented the biggest crisis the UK has seen since 1945.
Mr Cummings took aim at much of the government during the “nightmare” of the pandemic – saying a text in which he called ministers useless f***pigs, morons, c****” actually “understated the position as events showed in 2020”.
He also claimed that everyone in Downing Street called Mr Johnson a “trolley” because of his indecision.
Mr Cummings was Mr Johnson’s top political aide in Downing Street from 2019 – having masterminded the Vote Leave Brexit campaign and helped usher the former prime minister into office.
But he left his role in November 2020 amid a power struggle behind the scenes and has since become a fierce critic of his old boss.
He was embroiled in a scandal at the outset of the pandemic when it emerged he had taken a lockdown-breaking trip to County Durham with his family.
Bereaved families were stationed outside the inquiry on Tuesday.
It comes a day after Martin Reynolds, the civil servant who was dubbed “party Marty” due to his role in the partygate scandal, gave evidence yesterday in which he admitted setting WhatsApp messages to “disappear” as calls for a COVID inquiry grew.
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Anneliese Dodds has quit as international development minister over Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to slash the overseas aid budget to pay for an increase in defence spending.
Ms Dodds, who is also women and equalities minister and attends cabinet, said she was resigning from both posts “with great sadness” but would continue to support the government from the backbenches.
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In her resignation letter to the prime minister, she acknowledged there was “no easy path” to fund the boost to defence but claimed there had been a “tactical decision” for the Overseas Development Aid (ODA) budget to “absorb the entire burden”.
She said: “You have maintained that you want to continue support for Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine; for vaccination; for climate; and for rules-based systems.
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The cuts to USAID mean the charity will have to halve its operations in Gaza and the West Bank, the Save the Children boss told Sky News.
“Yet it will be impossible to maintain these priorities given the depth of the cut; the effect will be far greater than presented, even if assumptions made about reducing asylum costs hold true.”
Ms Dodds said the cut will likely lead the UK to pull-out from numerous African, Caribbean and Western Balkan nations, as well as a withdrawal of commitments to international banks and a reduced voice in the G7 and G20.
“Ultimately, these cuts will remove food and healthcare from desperate people – deeply harming the UK’s reputation,” she added.
“I know you have been clear that you are not ideologically opposed to international development. But the reality is that this decision is already being portrayed as following in President Trump’s slipstream of cuts to USAID.”
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The cuts to USAID mean the charity will have to halve its operations in Gaza and the West Bank, the Save the Children boss told Sky News.
Around £6bn per year will be taken out of the aid budget and transferred over to pay for defence.
That amounts to a reduction in aid spending from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3%.
In a letter responding to Ms Dodd’s resignation, Sir Keir said the decision to cut foreign aid “was a difficult and painful decision and not one I take lightly”.
“However, protecting our national security must always be the first duty of any government and I will always act in the best interests of the British people,” he said.
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Does it matter that foreign aid has been cut in the UK?
The resignation comes after a key meeting between Sir Keir and Mr Trump on Thursday, during which the US leader praised the defence sending decision and also touted the prospect of a tariff-free trade deal.
Ms Dodds marks the loss of a fourth minister from the new Labour government, after Louise Haigh and Tulip Siddiq resigned and Andrew Gwynne was sacked.
Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, who was the international development minister under Rishi Sunak, said Ms Dodds had “done the right thing”.
He posted on X: “Labour’s disgraceful and cynical actions demean the Labour Party’s reputation as they balance the books on the backs of the poorest people in the world. Shame on them and kudos to a politician of decency and principle.”
Resignation of Dodds shows Starmer’s ruthless side
She was one of his closest allies, but today Anneliese Dodds has quit Keir Starmer’s government with a stark warning about the direction of travel.
It’s been quite a journey since she got the top job in his opposition cabinet.
When he took over as Labour leader, she was appointed shadow chancellor and seen as a key player in his team.
Since that time, Starmer has shown himself to be a pragmatic, sometimes ruthless, operator when it comes to both policy and political friendships.
This resignation once again shows that side.
Not only is he pushing through deep cuts to foreign aid – a move he previously condemned – but in doing so, he has also cast aside one of his most loyal and long-standing colleagues.
Former Tory defence minister Tobias Ellwood also praised the decision as “courageous and principled”, saying that national security is “not just about hard power” but tackling threats like disease and extremism.
However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch backed Sir Keir’s decision.
She said: “I disagree with the PM on many things BUT on reducing the foreign aid budget to fund UK defence? He’s absolutely right.
“He may not be able to convince the ministers in his own cabinet, but on this subject, I will back him.
“National interest always comes first.”
Read more from Sky News:
What foreign aid is being cut?
‘Trump not the reason for UK defence spending boost’
Sir Keir announced the decision to cut the aid budget on Tuesday, saying it would fund and increase defence spending from 2.3% of GDP to 2.5% in 2027. Labour’s manifesto had pledged to reach this target but it was not clear when that would be achieved or how it would be funded.
The prime minister admitted the inauguration of Mr Trump – who has made clear he no longer wants to bankroll NATO’s defence- “accelerated” his decision but said it had been three years in the making, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said the reduction in foreign aid is “not a renouncement I’m happy to make”.
Asked about it during the Convention of the North conference, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said: “I’m sorry to hear she’s resigned, it was a really difficult decision that was made.”
However, she said it was “absolutely right” that the cabinet endorse the prime minister’s actions to spend more money on defence.
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