Mr Cummings gave more details on his claim that Mr Johnson had to be stopped from going to see Queen Elizabeth II in person on March 18 - five days before the first lockdown was announced. He said No10 officials were prepared to prevent him getting into his car. “He rejected our advice,” Mr Cummings wrote. “I was desperate and said something like, ‘If you’ve got Covid and you kill the Queen you’re finished’. [No10 adviser] Cleo [Watson] said she would not let him get in the car. He agreed not to go.”

Pathologically selfish people struggle with the whole concept of taking care of others, and should not be running countries.