Piers Morgan blasts Boris Johnson & Matt Hancock's 'terrifying level of incompetence' over 'shocking' lockdown plans

PIERS Morgan has blasted Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock's "terrifying level of incompetence" in the pandemic response.

His comments come as Dominic Cummings lays bare his version of events in the lead up to lockdown last year.

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Piers tweeted: "Wow. Cummings is confirming everything I feared about our Government’s appalling handling of this Pandemic.

"His testimony is utterly devastating & exposes a terrifying level of incompetence & deceit led by Boris Johnson & Matt Hancock that cost 1000s of lives. Heads should roll."

The former aide to the Prime Minister has launched a blistering attack on Government this morning.

He began by telling MPs that ministers, officials and advisers “fell disastrously short of the standards the public has a right to expect” in a crisis.

The top aide said in an explosive evidence session today:

  • The PM and other top officials were on holiday in February and missed key pandemic prep meetings
  • The PM said Covid was just a "scare story" in February and thought it was "just the new swine flu"
  • Cummings claimed Boris was going to get Chris Whitty to inject him live on telly with Covid to show it was "nothing to be scared of"
  • No10 was distracted in the week of March 12 as Donald Trump wanted the UK to help with a bombing campaign – and Carrie wanted the press office to deal with a story about their dog, Dilyn
  • Herd immunity WAS a policy until Friday 13 March when it was abandoned, he said
  • It was a "catastrophic mistake" not to make data public because there wasn't scrutiny of the scientists decisions
  • He accused ministers of acting too slowly as they weren't prepared and had no plans
  • 'Groupthink' led to delays in lockdown, but he said he "bitterly regrets" not pushing it from the first week of March

Mr Cummings apologised for the mistakes, saying the Government "didn't act like it (Covid) was the most important thing in February, never mind in January".

Piers also issued a lighthearted apology, saying: "A PERSONAL STATEMENT: I'd like to sincerely apologise for the way I held the Govt to account during this Pandemic.

"It's quite clear from Cummings' shocking testimony that I should have gone much much harder. Sorry."

The former chief aide to the Prime Minister told the Commons committee: "It's obvious that the western world including Britain just completely failed to see the smoke and to hear the alarm bells in January, there's no doubt about it."

'FAILED'

Mr Cummings said he had "mounting panic" about the response to coronavirus.

He said he was pushing for the Government to announce that people should stay at home if they had symptoms and households should quarantine on March 11, but he said there was "push back" from others who felt the advice could be delayed for another week.

Mr Cummings claimed the PM was far too slow to lock down and Mark Sedwill, the Cabinet Secretary, was suggesting Boris go on TV as late as March 13 to urge the public to have 'chicken pox parties' to spread Covid.

In more bizarre claims he revealed the PM wanted to be injected with Covid to show it wasn't a big risk.

In a damning summary of the situation within Downing Street, he said in mid-March it was like "a scene from Independence Day with Jeff Goldblum saying the aliens are here and your whole plan is broken and you need a new plan".

He said: "The shielding plan was literally hacked together in two all-nighters after the 19th, I think, Thursday the 19th.

"There wasn't any plan for shielding, there wasn't even a helpline for shielding, there wasn't any plan for financial incentives, there wasn't any plan for almost anything in any kind of detail at all."

He also added: "There wasn't any plan for furlough at all, nothing, zero, nada."


 

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