Dominic Cummings has compared the UK government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic to an infamous Spider-Man meme.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former chief advisor, who was at the centre of last year’s Barnard Castle scandal, gave testimony to the Commons Health, and Science and Technology committees at Westminster today (May 26).
During the lengthy questioning, Cummings made damning allegations against the PM, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and other government figures over their response to COVID-19 in 2020 and beyond.
He said that Hancock should have been fired on “15 to 20” occasions, accusing him of “lying” throughout the health crisis. Elsewhere, he alleged that Johnson had played down the virus as being the “new swine flu”.
In an attempt to describe the chaotic scenes in government as the pandemic began to take hold, Cummings said: “It was like that Spider-Man meme with both Spider-Mans pointing at each other. It was like that but with everybody.
I've clipped Cummings' 'Spiderman meme' dialogue for posterity pic.twitter.com/ujKjr8LiZ8
— J A Earley (@AlbyEarley) May 26, 2021
“You had Hancock pointing at the permanent secretary, the permanent secretary pointing at Hancock, they are both pointing at the Cabinet, the Cabinet are pointing back at them.”
He added: “And all the different Spider-Man’s are pointing back at each other saying, ‘It’s your responsibility’.”
Viewers were quick to share their own take on the pointing Spidey meme on Twitter – you can see a selection of those below.
Genuinely can’t believe that I’m watching a parliamentary select committee about a pandemic that has killed 128k people and a man is talking about “that Spider-Man meme”.
— Nish Kumar (@MrNishKumar) May 26, 2021
Dominic Cummings appears to be describing the UK's response to corona in a series of memes (spidermens, Independence Day). Now making a bingo-card to tick off possible future ones: Catbin Lady, the O RLY owl, Kim Kardashian crying.
— Caitlin Moran (@caitlinmoran) May 26, 2021
Today on Normal Island we have a senior government advisor attempting to describe the Spiderman meme to an inquiry into 130,000 deathspic.twitter.com/KVMTSmYvYI
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) May 26, 2021
I think this is what Dominic Cummings meant when he said SpiderMan meme… #CummingsEvidence pic.twitter.com/brhwC0aw8i
— Florence Beasley (@Flossiebeasley) May 26, 2021
Dominic Cummings: You know that Spider-Man meme
Me: yes, continue pic.twitter.com/nG4UiJFgEH
— Em (@IrradiatedMouse) May 26, 2021
For anyone who needs to see the Spider-Man meme with Dominic Cumming heads: pic.twitter.com/JHiFJKVDuv
— Matthew Highton (@MattHighton) May 26, 2021
Dominic Cummings bringing up the Spiderman meme….. pic.twitter.com/rcdz8WgoLE
— Bryan (@BryanSpoon79) May 26, 2021
Dominic Cummings drinking game;
Drink when he references
Independence Day
Jeff Goldblum
Prime Minister
Laura Kuenssberg
Some meme off social media… pic.twitter.com/w85sW7S4P3— Ian Stewart (@ianthenoodle) May 26, 2021
Dominic Cummings also said that the government’s lack of a “lockdown plan” last March was “like a scene in Independence Day with Jeff Goldblum saying the aliens are here and your whole plan is broken… that is what the scene was like that morning.”
He added that Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) data scientist Ben Warner was “in the Jeff Goldblum role” of David Levinson.
You can watch that clip below via BBC News.
“This is like a scene from Independence Day with Jeff Goldblum saying the aliens are here and your whole plan is broken… that is what the scene was like that morning”
Dominic Cummings says in early March “there was no lockdown plan… it doesn’t exist”https://t.co/0hrsO5W9hc pic.twitter.com/9dUK9M842O
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) May 26, 2021
Matt Hancock is due to give evidence to the committees next week. It comes as the government plan to lift all remaining social restrictions in England by June 21, having set out its conditional ‘roadmap’ back in February.
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