Ex-Johnson aide lambasts UK government over COVID failures

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former chief aide says the government “failed” the British people and “fell disastrously short” in handling the coronavirus pandemic

LONDON -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former chief aide lashed out Wednesday at the government he once served, saying people died “in horrific circumstances” because of authorities' failed response to the coronavirus pandemic. Dominic Cummings told lawmakers investigating Britain’s pandemic response that officials including the prime minister went on vacation as the virus swept toward the U.K. in early 2020 and describing scenes of chaos in government as “like an out of-control movie.” Cummings said Johnson initially regarded the pandemic as “just a scare story. He described it as the new swine flu.” He said the government “was not operating on a war footing” early in the pandemic. “Lots of people were literally skiing.”