Bombshell week for Boris Johnson as former team prepare for Covid Inquiry

The former prime minister’s top aides will be grilled over decision-making in Downing Street during the pandemic

Boris Johnson is facing a bombshell week as his top advisers from his time as PM are hauled before the official Covid inquiry.

The ex-prime minister’s aides including controversial former chief of staff Dominic Cummings will be grilled over decision-making in Downing Street during the pandemic.

Also appearing before the inquiry is former head of communications Lee Cain, who suggested “the real person in charge” as Covid raged was Mr Johnson’s wife, Carrie.

And Mr Johnson’s then-principal private secretary Martin Reynolds, dubbed “Party Marty” after inviting staff to a bring your own booze garden party, will give evidence as well.

Mr Reynolds will be questioned by inquiry chairman Baroness Heather Hallett on Monday morning, followed by Mr Cain in the afternoon. Mr Cummings will appear before the inquiry on Tuesday.

Ahead of the blockbuster week, former chancellor George Osborne claimed Mr Johnson and Mr Cummings sent “disgusting and misogynistic” WhatsApps that will be revealed.

And Britain’s former second most senior civil servant Helen MacNamara is set to tell the inquiry Mr Johnson did not like attending Cobra meetings in the pandemic as he did not want to leave his study.

In her witness statement, revealed by The Mirror, she said: “Mr Johnson had never warmed to COBR - it did not suit his working style to come through to the basement of the Cabinet Office, away from his study and his political team.”

Recent hearings and document releases from the Covid inquiry have revealed embarrassing details for Mr Johnson, Rishi Sunak and senior government officials.

It emerged last week that the chief scientific adviser Dame Angela McLean called Mr Sunak “Dr Death” after he launched Eat Out to Help Out – the restaurant discount scheme blamed for an increase Covid cases in the summer of 2020.

And it has been reported that the head of the civil service accused Boris Johnson at the height of the Covid pandemic of “Trump-Bolsonaro levels of mad and dangerous” behaviour because the then prime minister wanted to end social distancing

Earlier this month the inquiry shared messages by cabinet secretary Simon Case referring to Mr Johnson’s wife Carrie Johnson as “the real person in charge” during the pandemic.

Messages sent in October 2020 between the head of the civil service and Mr Johnson’s then-communications head Lee Cain lay bare the rows at the heart of No 10 at the time.

On Monday it was claimed Mr Johnson told scientists he was in favour of a Swedish-style approach to the pandemic rather than further lockdowns in autumn 2020.

Evidence submitted by Professor Sunetra Gupta suggests the former PM was persuaded by a Swedish expert that lockdowns could be avoided by implementing less restrictive rules.

Prof Gupta’s witness statement, seen by The Daily Telegraph, described a round-table discussion with Mr Johnson, Mr Sunak and several other scientists in September 2020.

At the meeting, Prof Gupta said everybody in the meeting except the scientist Prof John Edmunds was supportive of Sweden’s light-touch approach to the pandemic.

Her comments are the first time a scientist has publicly disclosed Mr Johnson’s support for the Sweden-style approach.

Prof Gupta is not appearing before the inquiry but has submitted written evidence.

Also giving evidence in person this week are former aides to Mr Johnson Imran Shafi and Stuart Glassbrow and psychologist Dr David Halpern.

The ex-chief executive of NHS England Baron Stevens will give evidence on Thursday as well as the health department’s permanent secretary Sir Christopher Wormald and the former Director of Health Protection for Public Health England Professor Yvonne Doyle.