London (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of overseeing the chaotic government that caused thousands of unnecessary deaths for not acting swiftly against the coronavirus.

The claim does not come from opposition politicians, but from Dominic Cummings, an unstable adviser who was Johnson’s most powerful and credible aide until the end of last year.

Recently, Cummings has turned a torrent of criticism of Johnson’s conservative government in an ever-growing series of Twitter posts. On Wednesday, he plans to testify live and make a direct claim to lawmakers investigating the handling of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.

Cummings accuses the government of sticking to a “herd immunity” policy. That is, it does not allow the virus to spread throughout the population while protecting the most vulnerable people, and cannot prevent a solemn blockade and many deaths until it is too late.

The UK has recorded about 128,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest casualties in Europe and the world’s most severe depression when the blockade closed most of its economy. .. The mass vaccination campaign launched in December has significantly reduced infectious diseases and deaths.

On Twitter, Cummings claims that the government had “complete and complete turmoil” as the virus struck Britain in early 2020. He said that controlled outbreaks leading to herd immunity would “lead to catastrophe” by the government.

He tweeted. “With proper preparation and competent personnel, you probably don’t need Lockdown 1, (asterisk) definitely (asterisk) Lockdowns 2 and 3.”

The government has denied Cummings’ allegations. “Herd immunity against infection was not a government policy,” said Max Brain, a spokesman for the prime minister.

Cummings critics aren’t surprised that he’s causing a fuss. The self-proclaimed political turmoil has long expressed contempt for civil servants, many politicians, and many media outlets.

He was one of the successful architects in the campaign to withdraw Britain from the European Union by creating a powerful and simple slogan, “Take back control.” He also hired a company related to Cambridge Analytica. Critics say this has unleashed the poison of data collection and social media manipulation into Britain’s political bloodstream.

When Johnson, co-leader of Brexit’s “withdrawal” campaign, became prime minister in 2019, Cummings was appointed as his top aide. He crouched around Downing Street in sweatpants and T-shirts and talked about his desire to radically restructure the government. He offended many politicians. They complained about unelected advisers exercising unjustified influence.

Cummings came into the limelight in May 2020 when newspapers revealed that they had traveled 250 miles (400 km) nationwide after being infected with COVID-19, despite a nationwide stay-at-home order. I took a bath. His defense of asking relatives for childcare help in case he became ill was hollowed out by many British who endured isolation to sacrifice and obey the rules.

Johnson resisted a call to dismiss Cummings to ignore the rules the government imposed on the rest of the country. However, a few months later, after losing the power struggle in the Prime Minister’s residence, Cummings left 10 Downing Street with a box full of belongings.

He has been out of the public eye for months before unleashing his Twitter storm in recent weeks, prior to Wednesday’s testimony to Congressional Health and Science Commission.

Sam Friedman, who worked with Cummings as an adviser to the Ministry of Education, told Sky News that Cummings wanted to stay away from the decision, even though it was the center of government when it was decided.

“He’s a very sensitive analyst in question, but he often doesn’t apply that analysis to his own actions,” Friedman said.