Dominic Cummings, Covid-19, Mat Handcock and the Elderly

May 28 2021

Yesterday (26 May) Boris Johnson’s former top aid, Dominic Cummings, launched a blistering attack on his former boss, claiming that thousands of people died needlessly as a result of the government’s mistakes in their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore he claimed that Johnson ignored scientific advice, wrongly delayed lockdowns and was ‘ unfit for the job’. It wasn’t that long ago that Cummings was credited with being the mastermind behind not only Johnson’s successful Brexit campaign but his defeat of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party in the 2019 General Election handing Johnson his 80 seat majority. Depending on which newspaper you read, he was either depicted as a campaigning genius, who won both Brexit and the General Election for his former boss or a dangerous, psychopathic mastermind who was the secret power behind Johnson’s throne, leading the country to a Brexit meltdown. Whatever your view, the fact is that his seven- hour, marathon evidence season, to the House of Commons, Health, Science and Technology Committee was a scathing attack on the Conservatives handling of the pandemic in its early stages and in particular his former colleague Boris Johnson.

 

However he saved his most savage attack for Health Minister Matt Handcock who he claimed should have been sacked for lying to the Cabinet on numerous occasions and going on to say ‘Tens of thousands of people died, who didn’t need to die’. It’s easy to dismiss his attack as the vengeful words of a former aid, who was forced out of Number 10 after an internal power struggle but despite this his remarks regarding care homes and PPE shortages were highlighted at the time and were well documented not only in the mainstream media but in articles published on the CWU Website and Facebook page. Health Care professionals and health service trade unions from around the country were complaining about the disastrous lack of PPE and forward planning when the virus first began to affect the UK. Many of us who were either personally affected or had family or friends who were, will be aware that this was true. A lack of planning, despite all the warnings that sooner or later a worldwide pandemic was inevitable, have all the hallmarks of a government that believed planning was unnecessary and that market forces would provide the solution to any problems that might arise. The fact that NHS procurement managers had to search around the world for available PPE, because we no longer manufactured it in the UK, was another damning indictment of failed government policy and then to discover it was not suitable after purchasing it was beyond ridiculous. However, possibly the worst example of the government’s early incompetence was the unforgivable policy that allowed untested hospital patients who had been discharged from hospitals to be sent to care homes. Thereby allowing the virus to spread, leading to thousands of needless deaths. This was despite warnings from health care professionals, trade unions and care home managers that a disaster was inevitable.

 

As the vaccinations are rolled out across the country and the unfortunate loss of life is reducing and the virus appears to be on the retreat, it’s easy to forget the avoidable mistakes of the early days when the virus first struck the UK. It’s also fair to say that the governments of many other countries seem to have been equally, or in some cases more irresponsible than our own, in their handling of the pandemic. The country has been promised an independent inquiry into the impact of the Covid-19 crisis and the government’s response to it. We must ensure that unlike previous government inquiries, this one isn’t delayed, until all those involved are no longer holding office or the full facts are not made available. The trade unions need to be at the forefront of the campaign for a proper ‘drains up’ independent inquiry. We need to ensure that the lessons are learnt and the mistakes or mishandling is never repeated so that when we face the next worldwide pandemic and the experts all predict there will be one, we are prepared for it and people get the protection and healthcare they deserve and will need.