‘There cannot be one rule for them and another for the rest of us’ says town MP
Hamilton politicians call for PM tosend histop advisor packing
Hamilton MPS are calling for Dominic Cummings to be sacked over his travel during the lockdown.
Local leaders say Prime Minister Boris Johnson should waste no time in taking action as pressure mounts on the Tory government.
It comes after Mr Cummings drove 260 miles from his home in London to another home in Durham during lockdown.
As the Prime Minister’s most senior advisor, there has been a mass outcry from the public for him to lose his job, including a petition of over 400,000 signatures.
Lanark and Hamilton East MP Angela Crawley said: “People in my constituency have made huge sacrifices over the months to obey the rules.”
And she added: “There cannot be one rule for them and another for the rest of us. People must have confidence that the Tory government is following its own rules – not being investigated by the police for breaking them.
“The Prime Minister must sack Mr Cummings without further delay.”
The MP is also backing calls for an inquiry into the Cabinet Office.
She added: “In Scotland, the clear public health advice has not changed.
“The Scottish Government will review the current rules today (Thursday) and hopefully this will lead to a gradual easing of some restrictions, evidence permitting.
“But for now, people in Lanark and Hamilton East should continue to stay at home – it really is helping to save lives.”
Meanwhile, Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP Margaret Ferrier MP said: “Dominic Cummings’ actions have undermined the sacrifices that we have all been making in lockdown to protect each other from coronavirus.
“His position is untenable and he must be removed from his post now.
“The fact that Boris Johnson and senior Tories have backed Dominic Cummings, in the face of widespread and understandable public anger, demonstrates a total failure of leadership at a time of national crisis.
“The public health advice is crystal clear. For the safety of others, anyone with coronavirus symptoms must self-isolate, in line with government guidance.
“They should not leave the house for any reason.
“Anyone who needs help during periods of self-isolation should make use of the support offered through local authorities, which is open to anyone who needs it.”
However, Scottish Conservative MP for Dumfrieshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, David Mundell said this isn’t the time for distractions, although he understood everyone’s current anger and frustration.
He explained: “At a time when the efforts of the Prime Minister, all levels of government, and every Member of Parliament, should be focussed exclusively on dealing with the current crisis, there is simply no time for distractions such as this.
“Mr Cummings set out his side of the story in the news conference on Monday. I think that we can all agree that it would have been helpful if he had done this earlier.
“Of course, everyone is entitled to form their own judgement on his explanation.
And, whether favourable or otherwise, I have relayed all the views I have received to Mr Cummings, before and after the statement, and to the Prime Minister and will continue to do so.”
Mr Mundell also stated that for his own part, he would keep working to support the governments in Scotland and across the UK in tackling the crisis and doing his utmost to help his constituents through what were extraordinarily difficult times.
In a dramatic Downing Street showdown with the press, Cummings insisted that he had done nothing wrong by driving 260 miles to his parents’ home during lockdown while his wife was suffering the symptoms of the virus.
And he said that he did not consider resigning over the issue or tell the PM he was leaving London.
He said: “I don’t regret what I did, reasonable people may disagree but I think what I did was reasonable in the circumstances.”
Cummings gave an intricate account of how his wife grew ill in midmarch and, fearing he would also be incapacitated, he decided to drive to Durham where childcare from family members was available.
He added: “In terms of the rules they made clear if you are dealing with small children there are exceptional circumstances.
He said: “The way I dealt with it was the least risk to everyone concerned if my wife and I were unable to deal with our child.
“I think people realise this was a complicated tricky situation. I was trying to weigh up a lot of different things.”