In his pre-prepared statement read out at a controversial 25th May press conference, at which he made clear he wouldn’t resign for repeatedly breaking lockdown measures, he claimed that “for years” he’d “warned of the dangers of pandemics”.
“Last year I wrote about the possible threat of coronaviruses and the urgent need for planning,” he alleged.
The conference was watched by 3.7 million people on the BBC alone - and some curious viewers decided to verify Cummings’ claim. One eagle-eyed sleuth found a post from March 2019 about bio-lab mishaps threatening to cause a pandemic had been edited 14th April this year, the day Cummings returned to London from Durham, to include a reference to coronavirus.
— ⬡ Jens Wiechers (@jwiechers) May 25, 2020
The stealthily inserted text quoted an article from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists talking about a report from the US Government Accountability Office that speaks about a 2004 incident in which two Chinese researchers were exposed to, and transmitted strains of the disease.
It read: “… two researchers conducting virus research were exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus samples that were incompletely inactivated”.
In the original post there was no such section or mention of coronavirus. Downing Street has since confirmed the blog was indeed changed.
— Steve Peers (@StevePeers) May 25, 2020
Cummings has been embroiled in controversy since The Guardian reported that he drove his family to the northeastern city of Durham in late March to stay with his parents after his wife began manifesting COVID-19 symptoms.
He also reportedly made a second trip in April, according to British media.
The aide delivered a speech on Monday in the Downing Street Rose Garden, where he said that he had no regrets about his actions and he believes they were reasonable under the circumstances. He added that he was not going to resign.
While Cummings' actions were condemned by the Labour Party leader and a number of other UK public figures, Prime Minister Johnson stood by his aide's actions, saying that he had acted responsibly.
