Senior officials to those at the top of Government during the coronavirus pandemic will appear before the UK Covid-19 Inquiry next week.

Boris Johnson’s then-chief adviser Dominic Cummings, former principal private secretary Martin Reynolds and ex-Number 10 director of communications Lee Cain are all among witnesses scheduled to give evidence.

Mr Cummings confirmed last week that he had been going through his statement with inquiry lawyers, describing the process as “painful”.

Mr Johnson’s closest aide when the pandemic emerged, he became well-known by the public when the Government was forced to defend him after he drove to County Durham beauty spot Barnard Castle during the first lockdown.

Mr Cummings is set to give evidence on Tuesday morning.

Next week’s hearings will begin with Mr Reynolds on Monday morning, followed by Imran Shafi, who was former private secretary to the PM for public services, and Mr Cain who is scheduled for that afternoon.

Former head of the NHS, Sir Simon Stevens and Professor Yvonne Doyle, former medical director of Public Health England, are due to give evidence next Thursday.

The inquiry’s module two hearings are considering core UK decision-making and political governance.