There will come a time when Ireland will look back at the pandemic to review what was done right, what was done wrong and what can be learned from one of the most difficult periods in the country’s history.
In Britain that process has apparently begun – with a vengeance.
The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings spent seven hours at a House of Commons committee levelling savage criticism at his former boss and other senior figures in the UK Government.
He made a series of claims including:
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- How Mr Johnson initially dismissed Covid-19 as a “scare story”;
- His view that Mr Johnson is “unfit for the job” of prime minister;
- How despite his own hospitalisation with coronavirus, Mr Johnson regretted last year’s first lockdown and strongly resisted introducing a second one in September when cases began to rise again.
- Accusing health secretary Matt Hancock of “criminal, disgraceful behaviour” and of lying repeatedly to the prime minister and other ministers and civil servants.
- His belief that Mr Hancock “should have been fired for at least 15, 20 things”;
Mr Cummings didn’t spare himself from criticism saying “the truth is that senior ministers, officials, advisers like me, fell disastrously short of the standards the public has a right to expect of its government in a crisis like this. When the public needed us most, we failed.”
Our London Editor Denis Staunton has comprehensive news here and an analysis headlined: Merciless Cummings leaves stage littered with bodies.
He’s not wrong about that.
Mr Cummings fell out with Mr Johnson late last year and left Downing Street in November following a dispute over who should fill key positions around the prime minister.
His remarks have caused quite a stir with UK Labour leader Keir Starmer calling for a public inquiry by the summer on the back of the claim that tens of thousands died unnecessarily.
The BBC has begun fact-checking the extraordinary claims made by Mr Cummings.
In the House of Commons Mr Johnson defended his record in the wake of the claims in a contribution that can be seen here.
Mr Hancock is due before MPs in the Commons today where Mr Cummings’’s allegations are sure to be put to him.
The storm over Mr Cummings’ account of the handling of the pandemic of events is only just beginning.
A more upbeat Ireland
At home Taoiseach Micheál Martin has given a rather more upbeat assessment of how the Government here has handled the crisis.
He told the weekly private meeting of Fianna Fáil’s TDs and Senators that the plan to reopen society is working, people are getting vaccinated and the mood of the people was now “extraordinarily positive”.
He said: “When the history is written and there is full evaluation it will show how this Government responded in protecting lives and supporting society in this difficult period,” he told colleagues.
“Aviation, travel, hospitality, sport, entertainment and the arts will be in focus in the coming days,” he told colleagues, saying the economic recovery plan to be unveiled early in June would reboot the economy.
A report on that meeting is here.
At Fine Gael’s parliamentary party meeting Tánaiste Leo Varadkar touched on the thorny subject of unwinding pandemic welfare supports, saying the Government will next week outline plans to phase them out from October onwards.
Mr Varadkar said that no dramatic changes should be expected in the third quarter as the country will still be in reopening mode. A report on that meeting is here.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) meets today to consider its advice to Government on the next phase of reopening. Senior ministers will later consider their recommendations ahead of Cabinet and the next big announcement tomorrow.
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Playbook
There’s a early 8:50am start in the Dáil with statements and questions on the Covid-19 vaccine rollout before Parliamentary Questions with the Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman.
Leaders’ Questions is at noon with a debate on a Government motion on the continuation of Mandatory Hotel Quarantine to start before 2pm.
In committeeland the Department of Transport is to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to discuss its 2019 accounts at 9:30am.
At the same time representatives of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council – which this week criticised the Government’s spending forcasts - are before the Budgetary Oversight Committee.
The PAC will publish a report on the Office of Public Works (OPW) and various projects it is involved in including the development of a new Garda headquarters just before lunch.
Filmmakers will be before the Arts and Culture Committee as part of pre-legislative scrutiny of the planned Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill at 12:30pm.
