Covid chaos under Johnson saw 23,000 die needlessly

Report finds PM and adviser Cummings presided over 'toxic and chaotic culture' in Downing Street during pandemic

- CAITLIN DOHERTY POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Chaos at the heart of Boris Johnson’s government and his failure to take Covid seriously led to 23,000 deaths, a damning report into pandemic decision-making has found.

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry also found the then prime minister and his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, presided over a “toxic and chaotic culture” at the heart of No 10, which saw the views of women ignored.

The report found that more than 20,000 lives could have been saved in England if the lockdown had been implemented just a week earlier, in March 2020.

Westminster and the three devolved nations were all found to have done “too little, too late” as the virus spread.

Children were ordered home from school, and families missed out on the chance to say a final goodbye to dying relatives, when measures were finally introduced.

From 16 March 2020, self-isolation and social distancing came into effect, with schools and pubs closed later that week, before ministers took the unprecedented step of ordering the first full lockdown on 23 March.

“Had more stringent restrictions short of a ‘stay at home’ lockdown been introduced earlier than 16 March ... the mandatory lockdown that was imposed might have been shorter or conceivably might not have been necessary at all,” the report said.

However, had the mandatory lockdown been in place from that earlier 16 March date, “modelling has established that the number of deaths in England in the first wave up until 1 July 2020 would have been reduced by 48 per cent - equating to approximately 23,000 fewer deaths”. The report also found that: