In his witness statement to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Dominic Cummings, former chief adviser to Boris Johnson, revealed that the then-prime minister’s approach to the pandemic was often unconventional and detached from reality. Cummings claimed that Johnson asked him to investigate the possibility of destroying the coronavirus by blowing a “special hair dryer” up people’s noses, and even sent a video of someone attempting this method to his top scientists, Sir Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance.
According to Cummings, Johnson also asked him to adopt a “dead cat” strategy, which involves circulating striking claims to divert attention away from an unwanted story. Johnson reportedly told Cummings that he was “sick” of the pandemic and wanted it off the front pages of newspapers. Cummings effectively shut down this idea, telling Johnson that no campaign could make COVID-19 disappear.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Via Boris Johnson/Twitter)
Cummings also highlighted Johnson’s lack of focus on the pandemic during a two-week holiday in February 2020. Instead of working on the crisis, Johnson was reportedly preoccupied with his personal life, including a divorce, financial problems, and his girlfriend’s plans for the No 10 flat. Cummings wrote that Johnson was “extremely distracted” and was even working on a biography of William Shakespeare, which seemed to take precedence over the pandemic.
Cummings’ claims paint a picture of a prime minister who was disconnected from reality and more concerned with his personal life than the welfare of the country. Johnson’s requests for unorthodox COVID-19 solutions and his lack of focus on the pandemic raise serious questions about his competence as a leader during a global health crisis.
