London, Oct 31 (EFE).- The two main advisors of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed this Tuesday his chaotic and incompetent management of the coronavirus pandemic, when testifying before an official investigation in which it was revealed that he advocated leaving die to the elderly.
Dominic Cummings, the former Conservative leader’s closest adviser until his resignation in November 2020, told former judge Heather Hallett that the Government “lacked a plan” to protect vulnerable people when the health crisis was declared.
He also assured that, until the first confinement was declared on March 23, 2020, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Cabinet – which links the Executive with the ministries – and the group of scientific advisors (Sage) were committed to combating the virus. with “herd immunity”: let it progress until a good part of society was immunized.
Known for not sparing curses and insults when expressing himself, Cummings maintained that Johnson was known in Downing Street as “the shopping cart”, for his way of lurching in decision-making.
He also said that when he entered the Government in 2019 – after having led his Brexit campaign in 2016 – the Cabinet Office, which later had to coordinate the management of the pandemic, was “a burning container”, with “the “Wrong people in the wrong job.”
Asked by lawyer Hugo Keith about his pejorative descriptions of ministers contained in WhatsApp messages to Johnson or other colleagues, Cummings responded that, although the foul language was his, the opinion of those politicians, including the head of Health, Matt Hancock , “shared era.”
“If anything, I fell short, as was proven by the events of 2020,” he said.
Lee Cain, Johnson’s former communications director who resigned in December 2020 due to internal disagreements, previously testified, saying that the then chief executive was not qualified to deal with the epidemic.
Cain argued that it was “the wrong crisis” for “the capabilities” of the then prime minister, who governed from July 2019 until his resignation in September 2022 after the scandal over parties in Downing Street during confinements.
His communications director said working for Johnson was “exhausting.”
“I think anyone who has worked with the prime minister for a while will feel exhausted. He can be a challenge to work with, because he oscillates, he makes the decision of the last person in the room,” he said.
Questioned by lawyer Andrew O’Connor, Cain acknowledged that Johnson’s indecision was “a problem” when it came to addressing the pandemic and admitted that under his leadership “there was a lack of leadership” and “chaos” reigned.
The witnesses at today’s session also declared that Johnson was very dependent on the opinion of the conservative press, especially the “Daily Telegraph” – a reference in his party – when approving initiatives.
Notes given to the panel by then-scientific advisor Patrick Vallance revealed that the former Conservative leader thought the elderly should be sacrificed to protect the younger.
Vallance wrote in one of his notebooks in August 2020 that Johnson was “obsessed with older people accepting their fate and letting young people get on with their lives and keeping the economy (running).”
In another entry in December 2020, the advisor notes: “They tell the Prime Minister that he has acted quickly and that the public is with him (but his party is not). He replies that his party ‘thinks this is all pathetic and that “Covid is just nature’s way of dealing with older people, and I’m not entirely sure I don’t agree with them. A lot of moderate people think this is too much (lockdowns).'”
On October 3, Hallett opened the second of four parts of the official investigation into the pandemic, ordered by the Executive and which at this stage analyzes the decisions of the authorities between January 2020 and the lifting of restrictions in February 2022.
The investigation into the management of a crisis that caused more than 226,000 deaths in the United Kingdom does not have the mission of finding culprits, but rather will issue recommendations to improve the system, although the Government is not obliged to adopt them.
Judith Mora
2023-10-31 18:07:39
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