Month-by-month: Dominic Cummings sets out his version of the truth about pandemic planning
Boris Johnson s former chief adviser dissects the key dates of No 10 s early response to the coronavirus crisis
26 May 2021 • 4:55pm
Dominic Cummings has accused the Government of failing to operate on a war footing in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic and of delaying the decision to implement strict lockdown restrictions.
Giving testimony about the Government s response to the pandemic to the Commons committee, the former Downing Street chief adviser detailed a number of perceived failures of No 10 in the early weeks of the crisis.
From the Government s lack of data about the early spread of the virus, to its lack of a plan for shielding, economic support and testing, Mr Cummings did not hold back.
PM wanted to be infected with Covid on live TV, called virus Kung-Flu and was slow to act because he was on holiday with Carrie : Just some of the grenades Dominic Cummings will lob at Boris Johnson tomorrow in explosive evidence to MPs
Boris Johnson referred to Covid as Kung-Flu , Dominic Cummings will claim when he appears before MPs
He will also allege the PM offered to be injected with it live on TV to show it s nothing to be scared of
Mr Cummings is expected to be accused by Tory MPs of using an appearance before a select committee to avenge his sacking in November after he lost a power struggle with the PM s partner Carrie Symonds
Chris Whitty today attacked tobacco companies who kill for profit as he warned that smoking has caused more deaths than Covid in the past year.
England s chief medical officer said lung cancer, the UK s the most common cancer killer, is almost entirely caused by greedy cigarette firms making money from addiction.
He added that smoking killed more than 90,000 people in the country last year – compared to around 80,000 deaths caused by Covid-19.
In a lecture on public health at Gresham College, Professor Whitty said he found the dismal survival rates for people with lung cancer very upsetting.
He said: One in five people who die from cancer will die from [lung cancer]. The reason that people like me get very concerned and very upset about it is that this cancer is almost entirely caused for profit.
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What venues can t open after May 17th?
In Step 3, all but the most high-risk sectors will be able to reopen.
While indoor entertainment and visitor attractions can welcome back customers, some businesses will have to remain closed until June 21st at the earliest under the roadmap restrictions.
These include nightclubs, which have been closed for more than a year, and adult entertainment venues such as lap dance clubs.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty during a COVID-19 media briefing in Downing Street, London, on Friday, May 14, 2021.
- Credit: PA
COVID-19 lockdown rules from May 17