Boris Johnson’s former top aide is withering about UK government during COVID-19 pandemic inquiry

By JILL LAWLESS and PAN PYLAS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The former top aide to ex-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has painted a picture of widespread chaos and dysfunction in government during the coronavirus pandemic. In keenly awaited testimony to the country’s public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, Dominic Cummings was withering about many of the people dealing with the pandemic, including his former boss. Cummings said Johnson constantly changed his mind during the pandemic, which made it difficult to set policy. In emails and WhatsApp messages that were handed to the inquiry, Cummings also slammed many ministers in expletive-ridden terms. The U.K. has one of the highest COVID-19 death tolls in Europe, with the virus recorded as a cause of death for around 230,000 people.