“Dominic Cummings, chief advisor to Boris Johnson, recently penned a scathing criticism of the apparent disarray within British leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic. The target of his fiery remarks was Helen McNamara, the country’s second highest-ranking civil servant, who is soon to testify at a Covid inquiry.
McNamara’s perspective on the time echoes with a harsh veracity. Working in such an environment during those fevered days of the pandemic, she claims, felt “testy and toxic”. In her words, it was marred by continual infighting and a lamentable lack of collaboration when unity was most vital. To her, the political team exhibited a disdainful view of the civil service, creating an atmosphere that was as unsettling as it was counterproductive.
Dominic Cummings, in his submitted written evidence spanning a hefty 115 pages, aimed to succinctly highlight the root of these tense ‘internal fights’. Referencing a quote from War and Peace, he asserted, “Nothing was ready for the war which everybody expected.” While it may be debatable whether a pandemic of this scale could have been anticipated, Cummings identifies this as indicative of a broader systemic state failure.
Set to appear at the Covid inquiry hearing in Paddington, west London, Helen McNamara will have to grapple with questions about what worked, what didn’t and the reasons behind both during the government’s handling of the pandemic.
In an intriguing revelation, Cummings recalled a troubling realization from McNamara at the outbreak of the crisis; she had been promised an existing contingency plan, only to find that none existed. She concluded with the grim acknowledgement, “we are absolutely f****d”.
As the inquiry unfolds, the victims of Covid serve as a grim backdrop; the bereaved clutch photos of lost loved ones, reminding us all of the true purpose of this inquiry – accountability and learning from past misjudgments.
In Spring 2020, official concerns regarding Boris Johnson’s ability to lead during the crisis were expressed to Buckingham Palace. McNamara revealed to the BBC that the level of dissatisfaction within the No10 political team towards the perceived failures of the system was extreme, leading to an instinctive desire to ‘tear everything down’. In her words, “we were systematically in real trouble.”
The implications that this had for the government’s pandemic response is yet to be determined. How did such internal chaos affect an already monumental challenge? What can McNamara reveal about the strain caused by the departure of Mark Sedwill, then the country’s most senior civil servant, at the peak of the pandemic? It’s known that Sedwill and Cummings had a fraught relationship, so the impact of this personal animosity on the larger crisis management remains to be seen.
Finally, what can McNamara add regarding allegations that Boris Johnson was ill-suited for his role as prime minister during these testing times? Would she echo the sentiments of other witness testimonies casting doubt on the prime minister’s competence? And what insights might she offer regarding Rishi Sunak?
It seems we’ll have to wait for the climax of this drama, as both the current prime minister and his predecessor are set to appear before the inquiry by Christmas.”
