London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Indian democracy can learn from Cummings’ dissection of UK’s Covid failings

Indian democracy can learn from Cummings’ dissection of UK’s Covid failings

This grilling helped the public understand what went wrong in the early days of the pandemic – meaning they can hold their government to account now, rather than wait till the crisis has passed.

Such was the box office pull of Wednesday’s parliamentary testimony by Dominic Cummings, the Rasputin-like ex-aide to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, that what would otherwise have been a dreary affair has garnered headlines even here in Asia.

Some commentators likened the seven-hour proceedings before the House of Commons joint science and health select committees to a Netflix miniseries.

The former special adviser, asked to testify on the country’s Covid-19 response thus far, painted a picture of blame-shifting, deceit and incompetence in the government and even said his old boss was “unfit for the job”.

Cummings reserved the worst criticism for Health Secretary Matt Hancock, accusing him of repeatedly lying to the public.

With references to the 1996 film Independence Day, a Spider-Man meme and even an F-word (when he quoted someone else), it’s tempting to say the hearing was entertaining.

Of course, the families of the 152,000 Britons who died in the pandemic would not have found any of this remotely pleasant.

We are likely to see intense discussions of Cummings’ revelations, and the government will resist some of his claims.

The proceedings are a dress rehearsal of sorts for a public inquiry next year on Britain’s Covid-19 response.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson.


While public opinion will be split on Cummings’ stinging attack on his old allies, most Britons will have been impressed by the surgical manner in which their MPs quizzed him – prodding him for answers when he sought to squirm out of giving straight replies.

As a result of this and other select committee testimonies, the public has a fuller picture of what went wrong in the early months of the crisis now, and need not wait for the 2022 inquiry.

Hopefully, this will prove useful in holding the government to account.

There’s a lesson here for India and other Asian democracies.

With much still at stake in the war against Covid-19, keeping the executive branch accountable should not be left to the end of the crisis as a Potemkin ‘lessons learned’ exercise. In New Delhi, parliamentary speakers of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have indicated they will not convene standing committee hearings for now.

Parliamentary speakers must be bold and resist the executive branch’s rhetoric that holding inquests now will prove a distraction to dealing with the present emergency. Britain’s experience suggests this is not so.

As Mallikarjun Kharge, the opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha put it, parliament “cannot and must not be a mute spectator” at an hour of collective crisis.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×