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It is set to be an explosive week at the Covid inquiry, with several key figures from Boris Johnson’s time in Downing Street set to give evidence.
This module of the inquiry focuses on the decision-making at the heart of the Government during the pandemic, so questions are likely to focus on the biggest policy decisions and how they were made, including how lockdowns were decided.
Here are the key witnesses the inquiry is to hear from:
Martin ‘Party Marty’ Reynolds
On Monday, Martin Reynolds – who was dubbed “Party Marty” after a leaked email showed him invited Downing Street staff to a “bring your own booze” event during the first lockdown – will give evidence to the inquiry, chaired by Baroness Hallett, from 10:30am.
In the email, sent in May 2020 and first revealed in January 2022, he contacted more than 100 staff saying they should make the “most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden this evening”.
As a result of this scandal, Mr Reynolds was one of the few officials referred to by name in Sue Gray’s damning “Partygate” report into Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street and Whitehall.
But, despite the controversy surrounding him, Mr Johnson still considers him an ally, and even recognised him in his resignation honours list, awarding him the honour of Companion of the Bath.
Lee Cain
Mr Reynolds will be followed by Imran Shafi, former private secretary to the prime minister and Lee Cain, former director of communications at Number 10. Helen MacNamara, former deputy cabinet secretary, will also give evidence this week.
Mr Cain also became a key figure in the partygate saga after it emerged that a number of staff, including Mr Johnson, attended a leaving party in No 10 in November 2020 while the country was in lockdown.
It was claimed that Mr Johnson delivered a short speech at the event, describing it as the “most unsocially distanced party in the UK”. A number of fixed penalty notices were issue to those who attended the event.
Dominic Cummings
Dominic Cummings, best remembered for his lockdown-breaching drive to County Durham, will appear on Tuesday morning. The former chief adviser to Mr Johnson is likely to deliver some memorable testimony, as he has been less than complimentary towards his former employer since he left Downing Street.
Appearing before a Commons inquiry in 2021, Mr Cummings said he believed Mr Johnson was “unfit” to be Prime Minister, describing his handling of the pandemic as “like a shopping trolley smashing from one side of the aisle to the other”.
When Mr Johnson went up before the Privileges Committee to be quizzed on his knowledge of lockdown-breaching gatherings in Downing Street during the pandemic, he said Mr Cummings “cannot be treated as a credible witness”.
“It is no secret that Dominic Cummings bears an animus towards me, having publicly stated on multiple occasions that he wanted to do everything that he could to remove me ‘from power’,” Mr Johnson said in written evidence.
Mr Cummings used his Substack blog the same afternoon to say that Mr Johnson’s claims that the Downing Street garden party was not against the rules is “not just obviously false, it’s further misinformation from him”.
With no love lost between the pair, therefore, it is very likely Mr Cummings will give a frank account of how Downing Street handled the early days of the pandemic.
But he is unlikely to get off easily when giving evidence, especially following claims by former chancellor George Osborne that “disgusting and misogynistic” WhatsApp messages sent by Mr Johnson and Mr Cummings will be released this week.
One name notably absent from this round of testimony is cabinet secretary Simon Case, who is currently taking medical leave from work.
But his name will still likely be raised in conversation, as newly released WhatsApp messages show Mr Case described Mr Johnson’s wife Carrie as “the real person in charge” in No 10 and referred to the Government as a “terrible, tragic joke” in a group including Mr Cummings and Mr Cain.
Other newly-released damaging messages include one sent by Mr Johnson which described long Covid as “bullshit” and asked whether “we really believe” in the condition.
When are Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson set to appear?
Current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was chancellor in the pandemic, will also not be let off easily. Last week, it was also revealed that scientific advisers had referred to him as “Dr Death” following the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
Both Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak are set to give evidence to the inquiry in December, while Mr Case’s evidence will be heard once he recovers.