There was no shielding plan early within the pandemic and susceptible teams have been “appallingly neglected” as a “fatalistic” strategy took maintain in Downing Street, Dominic Cummings has claimed.
The former chief aide to Boris Johnson, who described Downing Street as being in “complete chaos”, was requested to what diploma decision-makers thought-about ethnic minority teams, home abuse victims and others within the run-up to imposing a nationwide lockdown.
Mr Cummings advised the COVID inquiry: “I would say that that entire question was almost entirely appallingly neglected by the entire planning system.”
COVID inquiry newest: PM ‘obsessive about older individuals accepting their destiny’
He mentioned “one of the most appalling things” was the dearth of a shielding plan in March 2020 “and the Cabinet Office was trying to block us creating a shielding plan”.
Mr Cummings, some of the senior advisers in authorities in the course of the first wave of the pandemic, additionally advised the inquiry that strict border controls and the fast growth of testing might have had a “much better” final result for saving lives and the economic system than lockdowns.
But he mentioned a “fatalistic” strategy had gripped the federal government, which didn’t envisage trying to create new programs to regulate the unfold of coronavirus.
“No one thought it was really practical to build our way out of the problem,” he mentioned.
“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 additionally described how attitudes round whether or not to vary to a lockdown technique in March weren’t all of the sudden modified.
He mentioned “this was all complete chaos” when requested about when numerous facets of presidency determined a lockdown was vital, fairly than managing COVID locally.
The inquiry additionally heard:
• There have been conversations in early March 2020 – weeks earlier than the nationwide lockdown – about whether or not native authorities might e-book out ice rinks and rent vehicles to hold and retailer “massive numbers of bodies”;
• Matt Hancock “sowed chaos” by persevering with to insist in March 2020 that folks with out signs of a dry cough and a temperature have been unlikely to be affected by coronavirus;
• Everyone in Downing Street referred to as Mr Johnson an indecisive “trolley”;
• Mr Cummings warned Mr Johnson of the NHS imploding “like a zombie apocalypse film” on 12 March, 12 days earlier than lockdown was carried out
Mr Cummings was referred to as to present proof after former communications director Lee Cain.
Mr Cain mentioned the previous prime minister was indecisive over lockdowns as a result of “the rump of the Tory party” didn’t just like the strict measures.
Notes from former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance have been learn out wherein it was mentioned that Mr Johnson agreed together with his MPs that COVID was “nature’s way of dealing with old people”.
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‘We seem like a joke’: Key WhatsApps from inquiry
The two hearings laid naked the chaos and dysfunction in authorities as coronavirus offered the largest disaster the UK has seen since 1945.
Mr Cummings took intention at a lot of the federal government in the course of the “nightmare” of the pandemic – saying a textual content wherein he referred to as ministers “useless f***pigs, morons, c****” really “understated the position as events showed in 2020”.
He additionally claimed that everybody in Downing Street referred to as Mr Johnson a “trolley” due to his indecision.
Mr Cummings was Mr Johnson’s high political aide in Downing Street from 2019 – having masterminded the Vote Leave Brexit marketing campaign and helped usher the previous prime minister into workplace.
But he left his position in November 2020 amid an influence wrestle behind the scenes and has since turn into a fierce critic of his outdated boss.
He was embroiled in a scandal on the outset of the pandemic when it emerged he had taken a lockdown-breaking journey to County Durham together with his household.
Bereaved households have been stationed outdoors the inquiry on Tuesday.
It comes a day after Martin Reynolds, the civil servant who was dubbed “party Marty” attributable to his position within the partygate scandal, gave proof yesterday wherein he admitted setting WhatsApp messages to “disappear” as requires a COVID inquiry grew.
Source: information.sky.com”