The recently retired head of the United Kingdom Public Service says the Government’s efforts to enforce COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were undermined by Prime Minister, Boris Johnston’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings.
Former Public Service head, Sir Mark Sedwill (pictured) said Mr Cummings’ trip to Country Durham at the height of the first wave of the pandemic was a “mistake”.
While Mr Johnson said his chief aide had acted reasonably travelling across the country after his wife developed COVID-19 symptoms, Lord Sedwill said it had created a difficult moment for the Government.
“Whether everyone should quit every time they make a mistake, I don’t think is right, but it clearly undermined the Government’s coherent narrative about people following the rules,” Lord Sedwill said.
Lord Sedwill, who stood down in September, also said there were legitimate questions about the Public Service’s preparedness for the pandemic.
However, he said some of the criticism had been misplaced and that media briefings attacking its performance had been damaging to good governance.
He was appointed Cabinet Secretary under Mr Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May.
He quit after reportedly clashing with Mr Cummings and is one of a number of senior officials to leave in the months after Mr Johnson became Prime Minister.
Lord Sedwill rejected suggestions that their departures had been part of a campaign to get rid of officials Ministers did not like, saying the situation was “more complex”.
“We go through periods of this kind when there’s perceived to be an attack on the underlying values of the Civil Service, but actually, those values and the institutions serving Governments with impartiality have always prevailed and I’m confident they will continue to do so,” he said.
However, he said that attacks in the press on senior officials over the UK’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) and other issues had been unpleasant and damaging.
“It is damaging to good governance and those responsible should recognise the damage they’re doing, even if they’re indulging themselves in some short-term tactical ploy.”
Lord Sedwill said it would be for a future inquiry to determine whether the lockdown in March was imposed quickly enough and whether there had been the right capabilities to deal with a pandemic.
London, 25 October 2020
