Boris Johnson rebuts Dominic Cummings' attack on his integrity
denied leaking details of the second coronavirus lockdown in England in November
And if you're tempted to roll your eyes and think it's just sour grapes from a jilted adviser, think again. The level of detail shows that Mr Cummings is willing to expose others while defending himself and lay bare the inner workings of No 10. The BBC - whose political editor Laura Kuenssberg first reported on the text messages on Tuesday - said it did not discuss the sources of stories.Asked whether he blamed his former adviser for the leak, Mr Johnson said: "I don't think people give a monkey's, to be frank, about who is briefing what to who."The PM queries those who say there's something "dodgy or rum or weird or sleazy" about securing more ventilators in a pandemic.
He also called for an "urgent Parliamentary inquiry into the government's conduct over the Covid crisis", adding that he thought Mr Johnson had fallen "far below" the standards of "competence" the "country deserves". Mr Cummings said he would be "happy to tell the cabinet secretary [Simon Case] or Electoral Commission" what he knew about the matter but that his knowledge is "limited".
"All reportable donations are transparently declared and published - either by the Electoral Commission or the House of Commons registrar, in line with the requirements set out in electoral law. Former attorney general Mr Grieve said the issue was "just one illustration of the chaos Mr Johnson seems to bring in his wake".