In an epic session to MPs, the prime minister’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings turned on his former boss, accusing him of not being fit to run the country. He compared Boris Johnson to a broken shopping trolley, and claimed chaos in the government’s Covid decision making resulted in tens of thousands of people dying “who didn’t need to”. Herd immunity, in which hundreds of thousands more would have died, had been the policy until he made them change it, he said.

Mr Cummings painted a picture of an imploding government, lacking data and following bad scientific advice. He went on to accuse the health secretary of lying repeatedly about PPE, medical treatment and the supposed shield around care homes.

Warning: This report starts with flash photography.

Dominic Cummings tells MPs Johnson ‘unfit’ to be PM