Johnson and Cummings oversaw ‘toxic and chaotic’ Downing Street

Boris Johnson and his top adviser presided over a “toxic and chaotic culture” in Downing Street that undermined efforts to deal with the pandemic, the Covid Inquiry has found.

Baroness Heather Hallett’s report on the response to Covid-19 criticised Mr Johnson’s excessive optimism in the face of the looming pandemic and “oscillation” on key lockdown decisions.

And she castigated his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, as a “destabilising influence” who used “offensive, sexualised and misogynistic” language and “poisoned” the atmosphere in Downing Street.

Other key figures also came in for criticism, including then-health secretary Matt Hancock , whom she accused of not being “candid” enough about the UK’s ability to deal with the virus.

Below are the key findings of Lady Hallett’s rep