Ex-Johnson aide says UK government failed public over COVID

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 said Wednesday that the government “failed” the British people and “fell disastrously short” in handling the coronavirus pandemic. Dominic Cummings made a blistering attack on the government he once served, telling lawmakers investigating Britain’s pandemic response that ministers and officials went on vacation as the virus swept toward the U.K. in in early 2020 and describing scenes of chaos in government as “like an out of-control movie.” He said the government “was not operating on a war footing on this in February in any way, shape or form. Lots of people were literally skiing.” Cummings said Johnson initially regarded the pandemic as "just a scare story. He described it as the new swine flu,”