Dominic Cummings labels Boris Johnson's early Covid plan a 'disaster'

UK prime minister’s former top adviser accuses government of making ‘awful decisions’

Dominic Cummings arrives at 10 Downing Street on Friday morning in London. EPA

Dominic Cummings - Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s controversial chief aide - told the BBC his “position hasn’t changed since my January blog” when he wrote he wanted his role made “largely redundant” by the end of 2020. AFP

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings leave 10 Downing Street in October 2019. Getty Images

Dominic Cummings looks on as Boris Johnson holds a news conference addressing the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak on March 12, 2020. Getty Images

Dominic Cummings reminds photographers to maintain social distancing as he leaves his home on May 23, 2020. On March 31st 2020 Downing Street confirmed to journalists that Dominic Cummings was self-isolating with Covid-19 symptoms at his home in North London. Durham police confirmed that he was actually hundreds of miles away at his parent's house in the city. Getty Images

A protester holds up a placard which reads 'Why are you above the law?' outside the home of Dominic Cummings on May 24, 2020. Getty Images

Two police officers arrive at the home of Dominic Cummings on May 24, 2020. Getty Images

A TV screen is installed in the street outside the home of Dominic Cummings on May 24, 2020. Getty Images

Protesters hold a banner which reads 'All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others' (a quote from George Orwell's Animal Farm) outside the home of Dominic Cummings on May 25, 2020. Getty Images

Dominic Cummings makes a statement on his trip to Durham inside 10 Downing Street on May 25, 2020. Getty Images

A tense Dominic Cummings during his statement inside 10 Downing Street on May 25, 2020. Getty Images

A sign left by a protester is left near the home of Dominic Cummings. Getty Images

A supporter of Dominic Cummings waits for him to leave his home. Getty Images

Mr Cummings is the second special adviser to leave Number 10 in the space of a day. Getty Images

Britain’s early plan to combat Covid-19 was branded a disaster in an incendiary series of posts on Twitter by Boris Johnson’s former top adviser Dominic Cummings.

Mr Cummings claimed "awful decisions" led to the government imposing lockdowns that could have been avoided, and repeated allegations that reaching herd immunity was the government's official original strategy, despite its vehement claims to the contrary.

Censure was also reserved for the UK media, which Mr Cummings accused of a dereliction of duty by failing to challenge these claims.

Mr Cummings left Mr Johnson's team late last year and his fusillade of biting tweets on Saturday came ahead of an appearance before a parliamentary joint inquiry on coronavirus this week.

Before his sudden departure, Mr Cummings was the prime minister's most influential adviser on Brexit and played an important role in the successful 2019 election campaign. He was also the architect of Britain's campaign to leave the European Union.

Mr Johnson is currently enjoying a bounce in popularity thanks to the UK’s widely heralded vaccination programme but he has presided over three lockdowns and one of the world’s highest Covid death tolls.

The UK also suffered one of the biggest slumps of any major economy.

This “worst of both worlds” scenario was highlighted by Mr Cummings, who accused the government of recidivistic dithering, which he said led to two further avoidable lockdowns.

“If we’d had the right preparations + competent people in charge, we wd [sic] probably have avoided lockdown1, *definitely* no need for lockdowns 2&3”, Mr Cummings wrote on Twitter.

“Given the plan was AWOL/disaster + awful decisions delayed everything, lockdown1 became necessary.”

Incompetence was not the only charge Mr Cummings laid at Downing Street’s door. He also accused Number 10 of lying over herd immunity.

He said achieving herd immunity by September 2021 was the official plan "in all docs/graphs/meetings until it was ditched".

“In week of 9/3, No10 was made aware by various people that the official plan wd [sic] lead to catastrophe. It was then replaced by Plan B,” he said on Twitter.

His account differs to that of the government, which said "herd immunity has never been a policy aim or part of our coronavirus strategy".

“Our response has at all times been focused on saving lives and ensuring the NHS [National Health Service] was not overwhelmed. We continue to be guided by the latest scientific advice.”

When asked about Mr Cummings' claim, Home Secretary Priti Patel, in an interview on the BBC on Sunday, said herd immunity was "not at all" the plan.

Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK’s Health Security Agency, also said it was not the strategy.