LONDON (AP) — A former top aide who has accused ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson of being unfit for office is scheduled to testify Tuesday at Britain’sDominic Cummings, who was the prime minister’s chief adviser during the first months of the pandemic in 2020, follows other aides who have painted a picture of Johnson as a leader who was distracted and indecisive duringOn Monday, former principal private secretary Martin Reynolds acknowledged there had been a “systemic failure” to prepare for the…
Another ex-aide, Imran Shafi, alleged that Johnson had asked at a meeting before lockdown was imposed in March 2020, why the economy was being destroyed “for people who will die anyway soon.”Cummings has also claimed Johnson was reluctant to impose lockdowns because he said the virus was primarily killing the elderly.Cummings, a self-styled political disruptor, was hired by Johnson after helping to mastermind the victorious “leave” campaign in Britain’s 2016 European Union membership referendum.
In May 2020 it was revealed that Cummings had driven 250 miles (400 km) across England to his parents’ house while the country was under a “stay-at-home” order and while he was ill with coronavirus. Cummings made a later journey to a scenic town 30 miles (50 km) away. headtopics.com
At the time Johnson resisted calls to fire him, but Cummings left his job in November 2020 and has fired broadsides at Johnson ever since on social media and his blog.Johnson agreed in late 2021 to hold a public inquiry after heavy pressure from bereaved families. The probe, led by retired judge Heather Hallett, is expected to take three years to complete.