Dominic Cummings, who modestly tells us that he only ever wanted to be called “assistant to the prime minister”, has resumed his attempt to force his former boss from office. He won’t succeed this time, either – but he may get him in the end.
He tried to bring Boris Johnson down in May last year when he gave evidence for seven hours to the health and science select committees. It was an attempt to hold the public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic in a single day on terms as unfavourable to Johnson as possible.
It failed miserably because, despite some colourful language about the prime minister’s incompetence being responsible for the deaths of thousands, Johnson – even in his absence – could rely on the defence that he had followed the advice of the government’s scientific advisers at all times. Cummings’s case was further weakened by his presence at the heart of government throughout the entire first phase of the pandemic.
Now Cummings has returned to the fray, with the long-promised blog post about potentially rule-breaking parties in 2020. He accuses the prime minister of telling “multiple lies” about parties before Christmas that year, and forcing and encouraging others to “tell the media untrue things”.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 08, 2022-Ausgabe von The Independent.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 08, 2022-Ausgabe von The Independent.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
As Russians target Kharkiv, 'next few days are critical'
Colonel tells Askold Krushelnycky how the situation could develop ‘dangerously’ for Kyiv’s troops as Moscow seeks to press on from the border towards Ukraine’s second city
Putin's reshuffle could be a pledge to long-haul conflict
Russia is going full steam towards becoming a ‘war economy’
Trump feared 'disaster' for campaign, Cohen alleges
Former ‘fixer’ testifies how he paid off Stormy Daniels
Thousands flee from Rafah as Israel steps up its assault
Israeli forces have pushed deep into Jabalia in northern Gaza – to recapture an area where they said Hamas had been dismantled weeks ago – while tanks and troops continue to move into the southern border city of Rafah.
Why we should worry about rise of 40-year mortgages
More than 42 per cent of new mortgages will be being paid off in pension age, but with sky-high house prices is there any other option for first-time buyers
Villa come back from dead after fan Hanks' pep talk
Aston Villa do not quite have the Hollywood ending to their season but the watching Tom Hanks got an illustration that football can script stranger drama than his line of work.
'It is the time to do it' Guardiola eves historic haul
Pep Guardiola can spend much of his season deflecting talk of potential achievements.
SILENT TREATMENT
Chit-chat during a haircut can be torturous for introverts – but now an innovative business in Helsinki is cutting the conversation. Helen Coffey applauds the pioneering move
The long and rocky road to Fury and Usyk's super bout
For the first time in 24 years, there will be an undisputed heavyweight champion when the pair fight on Saturday
'It wasn't the US that didn't get us, it was just Nashville'
As Kings of Leon release ‘Can We Please Have Fun’, singer Caleb Followill talks to Laura Barton about the wisdom of their late mother, hunting for approval in his home city and how a producer helped them get the dirt back in their sound