Boris Johnson did not think coronavirus was a "big deal" as he focused on other concerns just weeks before the first lockdown, Dominic Cummings wrote at the time.Mr Cummings, who was the then-prime minister's chief adviser, messaged colleague Lee Cain saying Mr Johnson thought the main danger was talking the economy into a "slump".

Boris Johnson did not think coronavirus was a "big deal" as he focused on other concerns just weeks before the first lockdown, Dominic Cummings wrote at the time.Mr Cummings, who was the then-prime minister's chief adviser, messaged colleague Lee Cain saying Mr Johnson thought the main danger was talking the economy into a "slump".