In recent days, the public inquiry into the UK government’s response to Covid-19 has revealed private messages between key players that indicate strained relationships and even contempt between them. Some of the most striking exchanges have been aired during the inquiry and include quotes from Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings, among others.
During his first Cobra emergency committee meeting on 2 March 2020 to discuss the spread of Covid-19, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and key figures inside Downing Street struggled to grasp the scale of the situation. The following day, Cummings, the PM’s chief of staff, said Johnson wasn’t convinced of the severity of the outbreak, describing it as “like swine flu,” which didn’t trigger a major public health crisis in the UK in 2009.
On 19 March 2020, Cummings expressed his frustration with Johnson during a meeting with then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Cummings described the PM as “melting down” during a discussion about financing government debt during the pandemic. The PM is said to have been in “Jaws mode,” a reference to his political hero being the mayor from the film Jaws, who keeps the beaches open despite warnings about shark attacks.
In September 2020, Cummings, Lee Cain, and Simon Case exchanged critical messages. Cummings described unnamed ministers as “moronic,” while Cain called discussions “embarrassing.” The Health Secretary at the time, Matt Hancock, was also strongly criticised, with Cain calling him a “joker” who “has to go.” Cummings called him a “liar.”
As the second Covid winter wave built, messages between Johnson and his aides revealed that the PM’s faith was faltering in the ability of lockdowns to control the virus. On 15 October 2020, Johnson said he was “rocked” by analysis that the average age of those dying was over 80, adding: “That is above life expectancy. So get Covid and live longer.” The messages were sent one day after England rolled out the three-tier system of restrictions, recommending higher levels of rules in areas with more cases.
Johnson’s evidence is yet to come as part of the inquiry. However, his spokesman said he is “co-operating fully.
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