Source: Global Times
[Global Times special correspondent in the United Kingdom Sun Wei Global Times reporter He Shan] British Prime Minister Boris's former chief adviser Dominique Cummings criticized his former boss - Prime Minister Boris Johnson's ineffective fight against the epidemic at a 7-hour hearing on the 26th, believing that Johnson's incompetence caused thousands of people to lose their lives in vain, and even compared the British government's actions during the epidemic to "a donkey leading a lion".
The British "Guardian" reported on the 26th that when asked whether Johnson is a suitable person to lead the country through the epidemic crisis, Cummings responded simply and clearly: "No." He believes Johnson ignores the seriousness of the coronavirus and ignores scientific advice and opposes the implementation of the lockdown. He argues that the UK government is not prepared for the outbreak, with neither a sense of urgency nor any plans to protect vulnerable groups. Cummings described Johnson as "pushing a shopping cart over the aisles" and likened the Uk government's actions during the pandemic to "a donkey leading a lion".
Cummings also broke johnson's startling remarks at the hearing. Cummings said Johnson did make statements that he would rather see corpses pile up than agree to a third nationwide blockade, but Johnson has always denied it. In addition, Johnson also said at a conference that he would let England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty broadcast the injection of the new crown virus on television, saying: "Then everyone will realize that the new crown virus is actually nothing to fear." In addition to all of this, Cummings said johnson presented his own "research" to everyone at a small meeting, "I think the new crown virus will only kill people over 80 years old, yes, people over 80 years old, this is a rule." The remarks were heavily criticized, with many family members of elderly people who died of COVID-19 angrily accusing Johnson of being "a little sympathetic."
Cummings also provided more details at the hearing about the second lockdown imposed by the UK last November. Cummings said that in order to describe the seriousness of the situation to Johnson, they held a meeting on September 21 last year, and a staff member gave Johnson a detailed explanation through data modeling. But in the end, johnson was not persuaded, resulting in the postponement of the second British blockade. Cummings believes that as long as a competent politician will not take the same approach as Johnson. Cummings said Johnson believes that the new crown epidemic is just a "horror story" and not enough to be afraid.
Cummings also explained the many reasons that delayed Britain's first lockdown. Cummings said he had told Johnson that a strict lockdown should be imposed on March 11 last year, but it wasn't until March 23 that the UK began to formally impose the lockdown. Cummings said the delay was due to a lack of approval of the lockdown by the British public, as well as external distractions. It is reported that the then US President Trump wanted the British to participate in the bombing mission in the Middle East, which led to the delay of the blockade. However, Cummings blamed the worsening of the epidemic on the government's lack of adequate preparation, saying that the government's epidemic prevention plan at that time was "based on lies".
In addition to blaming Johnson for his inability to fight the epidemic, Cummings believes that Health Secretary Matt Hancock is also to blame. Cummings said he had repeatedly asked Johnson to fire Hancock, arguing that he was "completely incompetent for the job." Cummings called Hancock's goal of providing 100,000 nucleic acid tests a day "very stupid" and calling it "shameful." He said broader virus tracing and testing could have been undertaken. It is reported that Hancock will be questioned by Parliament in the next two weeks. Hancock countered: "I've been working hard to push the vaccination program, especially for people over 30, and I've been saving lives. Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's shadow cabinet health minister, said the "very serious allegations" should be "well-founded" and that Hancock "needed to give an explanation" for the country to "maintain confidence in him".
In response to Cummings' complaint, Johnson spoke in the House of Commons on the evening of the 26th, defending the actions taken by his government during the epidemic and accusing Cummings of still focusing on the shortcomings of the British government. In fact, the UK government is rapidly pushing a vaccination programme to fight the pandemic. In response to the shocking remarks that were exposed, Johnson said that even if the government's judgment on the new crown epidemic is wrong, it is not the turn of Cummings to blame. Cummings also asked the government to announce the anti-epidemic plan, but Johnson said that the government is fighting the epidemic with all its strength and does not intend to waste valuable time on formulating the anti-epidemic plan. Johnson also accused Cummings of being "playing a boring political game."
The once capable general is now turning against each other, and I don't know what Johnson feels like in his heart. But many of Cummings's critics have questioned the legitimacy of his questioning. Cummings ignored the regulations at the height of the epidemic in the UK and drove hundreds of miles away from London with his family. Cummings explained that he received death threats during this time. CNN said that no matter how striking Cummings's remarks may be, he did not provide factual evidence for the claims. Without factual evidence, his words would soon be forgotten.