Boris Johnson’s former ally Cummings slams UK virus response
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being accused of overseeing a chaotic government whose failure to act quickly against the coronavirus caused thousands of unnecessary deaths.
The allegations come not from opposition politicians but from Dominic Cummings, the volatile adviser who until late last year was Johnson’s most powerful and trusted aide.
In recent days, Cummings has directed a torrent of criticism at Johnson’s Conservative government in an ever-lengthening string of Twitter posts. On Wednesday, he plans to make the claims in person, testifying on live television to lawmakers investigating Britain’s handling of COVID-19.
Cummings accuses the government of sticking with a policy of “herd immunity” — allowing the virus to spread through the population while protecting the most vulnerable — until it was too late to prevent draconian lockdowns and many deaths.
The U.K. has recorded almost 128,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest toll in Europe, and had of the deepest recessions in the world when lockdown shut down much of the economy. A mass vaccination campaign started in December has brought infections and fatalities down sharply.
On Twitter, Cummings has alleged there was “total & utter chaos” in government as the virus swept Britain in early 2020. He claims a controlled outbreak leading to herd immunity was “the official plan” until early March 2020, when the government realized that would “lead to catastrophe.”
He tweeted: “If we’d had the right preparations + competent people in charge, we wd probably have avoided lockdown1, *definitely* no need for lockdowns 2&3.”
The government denies Cummings’ allegations. The prime minister’s spokesman, Max Blain, said “herd immunity from...
