Tory leader: He should’ve gone
THE leader of Rochdale council’s Conservative group says Dominic Cummings should have resigned - or been sacked - for the ‘overwhelming good of the country’.
With outrage growing over the PM’s top adviser’s 270-mile journey to Durham during lockdown, the aide told a Downing Street press conference this was so his family could care for his young son should he and his wife both fall ill with coronavirus.
However, he said he ‘never considered’ resigning and has received the full backing of Prime Minister Boris Johnson who insists he acted ‘responsibly, legally and with integrity’.
But group
Rochdale’s Tory leader Ashley
Dearnley believes the senior adviser should have either jumped or been pushed by the PM.
“My view is that he might have done what he believed to be right, that’s for him to decide,” he said.
“But my overriding concern is that, what the vast majority in the country are doing and what we asked them to do, was to stay in one place. It clearly sends out very mixed messages to people. I understand people’s anger about it and I think for the overwhelming good of the country which should always be the top priority - I would personally have taken it on the chin and resigned.
“It’s for others to say what they believe. That’s what I hope I would do if I got myself into a similar situation.”
He added that relocating to a second home during lockdown - while others kept to the letter and spirit of the rules - had left his position untenable.
He said: “I admire what he has done and his work around getting Brexit done, that was absolutely brilliant and in tune with the people of this country; that’s why we won the election. What he has done is not in tune with the vast majority of people.”
Last December’s general election saw the Conservatives winning northern seats they have never taken before - including Heywood & Middleton.
The Tories’ pledge to ‘Get Brexit Done’ is thought to have played a big part in their victory, as many voters turned their backs on what they saw as undemocratic and elitist attempts to overturn the referendum result.
But Coun Dearnley fears the trust between the party and voters could be broken by a perception of one rule for them and another for the elite. And while the next council elections are 12 months off, he fears Mr Cummings’ continued presence at the heart of government could damage Tory hopes in the much longer term.
He added: “I have had numerous people contacting me, that are Conservative
supporters, who are very unhappy with what has happened.
“I think we are, as a party, there for everybody. We were elected on a straight-forward agenda of honesty, openness and integrity and we must make sure we maintain that relationship with the British people.”
In a further development on Wednesday, Durham Police issued a statement stating that Mr Cummings “might have” committed a “minor breach of regulations” by driving to Barnard Castle.
But they said his drive from London to Durham did not break regulations.
They said they would take no further action.