Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s former Chief Aide, began his appearance in front of a joint meeting of the Science and Technology Select Committee and the Health and Social Care Select Committee today by apologising for his own mistakes relating to the Government’s response to Covid and for falling – alongside ministers, advisors and other officials – “disastrously short of the standards that the public has a right to expect… in a crisis like this”.
It didn’t take long for Dominic’s attention to turn to the failings of others. Perhaps his most eye-catching assertion was that Health Secretary Matt Hancock should have been sacked “for at least 15 to 20 things”, including “lying to everybody on multiple occasions”. The MailOnline has more.
He accused the Health Secretary, among other things, of overplaying the U.K.’s readiness for a massive infectious disease outbreak early last year.
And in a gobsmaking [sic] personal attack, which even took the MPs on the Commons Health and Social Care and Science and Technology Committees by surprise, he today said: “Like in much of the Government system, there were many brilliant people at relatively junior and middle levels who were terribly let down by senior leadership.
“I think the Secretary of State for Health should’ve been fired for at least 15, 20 things, including lying to everybody on multiple occasions in meeting after meeting in the Cabinet room and publicly.
“There’s no doubt at all that many senior people performed far, far disastrously below the standards which the country has a right to expect. I think the Secretary of State for Health is certainly one of those people.
“I said repeatedly to the Prime Minister that he should be fired, so did the Cabinet Secretary, so did many other senior people.”
Mr Cummings said one of Matt Hancock’s lies was that everybody got the treatment they deserved in the first peak when “many people were left to die in horrific circumstances”.
Asked to provide evidence of the Health Secretary’s lying, the former Chief Aide to the Prime Minister told the Commons committee: “There are numerous examples. I mean in the summer he said that everybody who needed treatment got the treatment that they required.
“He knew that that was a lie because he had been briefed by the chief scientific adviser and the chief medical officer himself about the first peak, and we were told explicitly people did not get the treatment they deserved, many people were left to die in horrific circumstances.”
Mr Cummings said that assurances given to him by Mr Hancock in January last year that pandemic preparations were brilliant “were basically completely hollow”.
Other points made by Cummings relating to the Government’s Covid response were highlighted by Toby last night, and Sky News has since produced a handy report on the main allegations made in the session.
The MailOnline report is also worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Freddie Sayers of UnHerd has written about Dom’s fantasy version of events: that he invented lockdown.
Stop Press 2: Having watched DC’s testimony, Ross Clark says in the Telegraph that it’s just as well he’s out of Government because his contempt for democracy was palpable.
Stop Press 3: A senior Tory has told the Telegraph that Hancock is now the Cabinet member least likely to be moved in the coming reshuffle.
Dominic Cummings might be gunning for Matt Hancock – but that doesn’t mean he is at risk from a demotion at the next reshuffle if the word in Westminster is to be believed.
One senior Tory tells me: “Matt Hancock has now got the safest role in govt – Boris won’t sack him now.”
That’s not to say the claims aren’t being believed. “[Matt] can exaggerate,” says the MP. “He hears things are possible and then tells you that it is already happening. It’s v plausible.”
But he is safe because the Prime Minister “won’t admit Cummings is right… it would show weakness if Boris did it now”.
“And Hancock is the shield for the boss,” the backbencher adds.
Taken from the Telegraph‘s live blog of Cummings’ testimony.
Discussion
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Sacking (all of) these f*ckers isn’t strong enough. We need a revolution across the globe. None of us can trust those in power any more. THEY clearly don’t have our interests in mind.
On that point I agree 100%. Hancockup should not only be sacked, he should be tried for genocide. Odious, lying toad of a man.
Well
I’m convinced Cummings is controlled opposition. He’s following his brief to ‘discredit’ certain elements of government. He’s a lockdown fanatic, a staunch test and trace / digital surveillance supporter and actively pushes the injection.
He’s not discredited the basis for the ‘virus’ – the big lie – the ineffective, misappropriated pcr tests and the exaggerated methodology which all countries have followed; he’s not discredited SAGE and co; he’s not discredited the inflated ‘corona virus’ deaths;
He’s not Joe Public’s saviour bringing the government to task.
He’s a gift from the government – he’s the Trojan horse.
Hancock will stay to protect Boris and the NWO. All the time people in this country kowtow to stupid policies like social distancing, masks and jabs, for a seasonal virus, TPTB will turn the thumb screws until we are back to being serfs and worse.
What yesterday showed me is we need to get rid of this Westmonster hierarchy. They lie, deceive and squabble. The population’s welfare is the last thing on their minds.
Most have been under socialist EU influence far too long. Most have been inside a shallow echo chamber most of their lives, from the same group of schools straight to the London political village with no experience or knowledge of the real world. They have ruined this country in countless ways from lack of backbone to make good laws that protect our families, our streets, our borders, our jobs, our industry.
In short they are no more than robots with a screw missing.
A massive Punch & Judy show designed to pacify the masses, judging from some of the comments here its working a treat.
I’ve just had a lightbulb moment, lets have “Covid The Movie” staring……….
I’m convinced the whole DC show is just another PR product with a well paid fall guy that the public already hates taking the fall for the real villains so the sheeple keep going along with it. Smoke and mirrors.
Was thinking the same thing. Smart political engineers know how to control the narrative and the best way is through controlled opposition. Rather than talking about whether lockdowns work the debate is now whether Boris erred on the side of liberty too much and whether he should have locked down quicker. To wider populace outside of these forums I suspect Boris will come out of this in a stronger position.
Couldn’t help but notice an exhaling valve on his mask. .. and as he’d already had covid, the valve negates any virtue signaling kudos…
A fool thinks he is a wise man or to put it a different way Cummings thinks he’s a nice bloke but in fact he’s a total twat. Him and that useless lump of lard that he used to call boss. Not to mention that insipid over promoted fuckwit Hancock.
If covid was a punishment from God whatever did we do to deserve that bunch?
We’ve been suffering since Blair
He and this cumming cunt should be both on a bonfire
Wanksock needs stringing up!
The news cycle is so fast they won’t be held to account, also as Liebour are useless, it’ll be onto something else tomorrow and somehow HC will keep his job, though lord knows how.
After today’s Questions the tosser has come up smelling of cheap air freshener.
Cummings argument stands or falls on the efficacy of lockdowns. It may be that Boris in the end will have to concede the truthfulness of Cummings account but can only do that by saying that his desire not to lockdown has since been vindicated by Sweden, Florida, Texas, South Dakota, etc etc
Now that would be a turn up for the book!
Didn’t Cummings take a little moment to visit a pharmaceutical company whilst he was visiting Durham? And isn’t that same pharmaceutical company now bottling up Novovax vaccine, (doubtless shipped in from the developing world and contaminated with God knows what).
What’s the betting that mortality from the vaccine is about to burst out from under the rug, and we’re going to be told it was those naughty Indians contaminating it at the bottling plant, so now we can have a “British-made” (overlooking the origin of its components), vaccine which won’t kill so many of us as the nasty old AZ one. And no magnetic vaccine sites. Just fool old fashioned British pharma-colonialism.
Still trying to work out how, as stated on PMQ’s today, deaths are 130,000 when ONS deaths are: 2020 – 607,922 : Deaths 2015-2019 (5 year average) 532,077
Is it because the 130,000 is a cumulative figure for the whole 15+ months rather than over a 12 month period?
Could be although didnt think the numbers were that high this year
Significance seeking is confirmed as a major driver of this shit-show.
I watched 80% of the Cummings interview. His exposure of the lack of preparedness by the government, the slowness in reaction and the lack of proper direction at many levels, together with the constant change of mind by Boris was partly already known but was a revelation. Where I totally disagree with him was that severe lockdown was the only way to tackle the epidemic. He made some good points – eg why was there no control of arrivals in the UK for several weeks after a lockdown had been imposed, Hancock reported that everyone being transferred from hospital to care homes had been tested for Covid when it was untrue etc.
Writing as a retired civil servant his critical comments on the ethos of senior civil servants was spot on. As he said, the wiring of government needs replacing. These comments and his criticisms of some politicians, but praise for others, were valuable.
He spoke for over seven hours, answered questions honestly and explained how his role changed towards the end of 2020. Some of the questions from individual MPs illustrated his point about the calibre of many MPs, both poor (unimaginative and repetitive) and excellent (penetrative… Read more »
Oh dear! It’s bad enough trying to excuse Johnson. Elevating Cummings to an honest seer is barmy. He always has been a ‘clever’ idiot with a massive ego.
This is all about rats in a sack, and one of them trying post-hoc exculpation – and failing in this account of incompetence written large and in neon lights. In much of it he was a joint author.
Spot on
Don’t think Johnson likes responsiblity, he is a delegator, he probably thought it was all being handled.
Honest and Cummings are two words I would not put together in the same sentence. It pains me to do so now in pointing that out. He is not to be trusted.
Can’t believe that I actually listened to this afternoons session. Truly a ‘Lockdown Love in’ session with questions asked by MPs who would find it hard to successfully audition for roles as Teletubbies. . Where were the hard edged questions like a) was a cost benefit consideration taken into account? b) why if over 30 published studies now pour scorn over lockdowns, why do you appear to still support them c) what about the lack of cancer screening and the build up of the waiting list for NHS operations etc??
I now why so many MPs voted for lockdowns. They haven’t got a clue!
My God – I am struggling to actually comprehend what has just happened. Please can someone explain all of this to me? What is Cummings up to? I actually don’t understand this move. I. Have. No. Words. I come here for sense – I’ve not read through all the comments yet – but I am listening to Radio 4 and my head hurts. Please help. Argh!
Don’t listen to radio 4 for a start.
Unfortunately, Julia Hartley-Brewer let the side down in an interview with an MP, when she demanded to know why the UK has not rolled out ‘vaccine’ passports yet to allow those who have had the jab to travel abroad unhindered.
Yeah she’s boisterous enough but often on the wrong side IMO. She just want her 2 weeks in Cyprus and hand the rest, “world beating vac program” etc etc on every show.
So Cummings has basically exonerated the govt machine (whose only real mistake was not locking down sooner) justified lockdown as a policy (see earlier) and made future lockdowns inevitable as its now ‘acceptable’ policy. On top of that he has managed to suggest that Johnson was a ‘liberal’ and ‘lockdown sceptic’ (Toby will be pleased) who parroted the fools here but claiming its a ‘scare story’ as well as justifying the last 18 months of tyranny and reinforcing the govt narrative of a life threatening pandemic. By doing this he has demonstrated that he is ignoring all the data and facts as present here and elsewhere for the last year and a half by all the experts and leaders in their fields relying on the failed nodding dogs of SAGE and IC.
A brilliant, brilliant piece of govt theatre only matched in its absolute total cynicism for the people and those who believe in liberty, freedom and (maybe) parliamentary democracy.
This is a simply a roadmap for future tyranny and further lockdowns.
I agree completely. I was going to post something similar, but Sean has put it much better than I can.
It is just theatre, to make us believe there is genuine debate and decision-making going on at government level.
Whereas the whole covid production is being scripted from much higher up.
I thought Cummings had secret service background anyway, so he would be the ideal figure to enrol to cast sand in the public’s eyes.
Really, once the cameras are off them they are sharing a drink together and laughing at us.
Let’s hope he gets David Kelley treatment very soon.
We are being governed by misfits, fantasists, narcissists, sociopaths and tyrants.
I wouldn’t buy a used car from any of these lunatics nevermind accept the offer of a vaccine.
You should see my list of sackings, it would not only be ancock, but it would also be 50 A4 pages (double-sided) and listed alphabetically.
Is this not the same Dominic Cummings who so publicly flouted the rules he is touting in earnest here?
The epidemic/pandemic response national policy was the same one as adopted by nearly all nations, certainly all western ones from the WHO. It was based on an influenza pandemic. Now the people arguing that that was inadequate are basing this on the theory that SARS2 was a lot more contagious than the flu, so the policy should have immediately been rejected and basically everyone should have followed the Chinese example in early February.
This only holds water if the ensuing disease is really fatal for populations, and as argued endlessly that the Chinese example was not worse than the disease.
Well we know that the IFR is 0.15% and that most of the population does not get ill. We also know that the health, economic and mental well being of nations is harmed far more following the Chinese example.
Cumming’s arguments and those of a similar ilk are without substance.
Hancock is a liar, but we didn’t need Cummings to tell us this.
‘“And Hancock is the shield for the boss,” the backbencher adds.’ Is the most relevant piece of this article. Johnson is corrupt, leaves Hancock in the gutter in the lying stakes, and is following his own agenda… Read more »
Nothing to see here, everyone knows of the incompetence throughout government, MPs and civil servants alike.
It’s ironic how Cummings made his reputation acting like the outsider taking on the Blob inside government and now he’s become part of the same machinery of government, furiously defending his own position and performance even though he has, as Alan Hansen on Match of the Day would have said, “had a complete shocker”.
Cummings has today confessed to gross negligence manslaughter
Now who’s going to refer that to the police to follow up?
Privilege against self-incrimination from testimony to Parliament, impossible to use this evidence. Bill of Rights, the impeachment of proceedings (i.e. basing a criminal or civil case on evidence) in Parliament in any other place is not permitted, except for perjury.
That does not mean an investigation cannot be commenced, It just means that what he has said today cannot be used against him
If he repeats the same things in a police interview then it could be used