Dominic Cummings

In its report on central decision-making, the inquiry examined Downing Street messages and testimony during the pandemic. It described Cummings's behaviour and language as poisoning the atmosphere and contributing to an environment in which some women were treated in a degrading manner. Cummings challenged certain characterisations and maintained that his harsh language concerned performance and competence rather than people's sex. These are findings of a public inquiry, not a criminal conviction.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The final report on central governance distinguished workplace conduct from decision-making structures. It found that Cummings had at times assumed functions or made decisions that should have rested with the Prime Minister or officials holding formal institutional authority. Boris Johnson had nevertheless accepted and encouraged much of this arrangement, limiting exclusive attribution to Cummings. The event concerns governance and institutional responsibility, not a criminal offence.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The investigation concluded that Vote Leave had spent approximately £7.45 million against a £7 million limit and that certain BeLeave expenditure should be counted together with Vote Leave's spending. The Electoral Commission notably published an email from Cummings suggesting that a donor pay money to 'another organisation', adding that this was in his view 'obviously entirely legal'. Cummings responded to the regulator's information requests. Sanctions targeted Vote Leave, its responsible person David Halsall and other individuals named by the regulator, not Cummings personally. Vote Leave subsequently abandoned its appeal and paid its fines; Darren Grimes's appeal against his own sanction, however, succeeded.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Cummings summoned Khan to Downing Street, examined her phones and dismissed her amid suspicions of leaks, without first informing Chancellor Sajid Javid. The affair prompted criticism of the new government's management methods. Khan brought Employment Tribunal proceedings alleging unfair dismissal and sex discrimination. The government agreed a five-figure financial settlement in 2020. A settlement does not legally establish Cummings's liability or the merits of every allegation.

Attribution

Directly implicated

Cummings left London with his family in late March 2020 to stay near his parents in Durham while rules required the public to remain at home. He subsequently drove approximately 26 miles to Barnard Castle, explaining that he was testing his ability to drive following eyesight problems. Police considered the initial journey compatible with a reasonable childcare exception but found that the 12 April trip could amount to a minor breach. They found no social distancing offence and took no retrospective action.

Attribution

Personally implicated

The DCMS Committee sought to hear Cummings during its inquiry into disinformation and the referendum. After repeated refusals of proposed dates and the issuing of a formal order followed by a House Order, Cummings did not attend. The Committee of Privileges concluded in 2019 that the refusal constituted contempt. The House formally condemned his conduct and admonished him. Cummings maintained that he was willing to testify under certain conditions and disputed the proposed process.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

A former adviser to Michael Gove but still well informed about Department for Education discussions, Cummings described Nick Clegg's policy as a programme devised 'on the back of a fag packet'. Liberal Democrats accused Gove's entourage of leaks and attacks on an agreed government decision. The Cabinet Secretary was asked to consider whether confidentiality obligations applying to former advisers had been respected. No personal legal sanction has been identified.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Published exchanges show Cummings, then Michael Gove's adviser, asking officials to find a way to rapidly award funding to New Schools Network, an organisation supporting the free schools programme. The funding and process were criticised for their transparency and closeness to those promoting the reform. Cummings subsequently worked for NSN. The selected sources do not conclude that Cummings personally committed an offence or embezzled funds.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

In an exchange concerning New Schools Network, Cummings indicated that the organisation would not provide certain figures intended for parliamentary answers and FOI requests, while an official reiterated the duty to respond fully to Parliament. Other disclosures revealed the use of Gmail and communication instructions that fuelled debate over access to public records. The Department for Education maintained that certain exchanges related to party political activity. No official finding considered here establishes that Cummings personally destroyed or unlawfully withheld documents.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

Directly implicated