I am a committed Leaver. But I believe Dominic Cummings should resign
Let me first lay to rest some of the more ridiculous accusations that have been laid at the door of those of us who have called for Dominic Cummings to resign. These include: that this is a Remainer conspiracy to help reverse Brexit, that it is a leftwing campaign to destabilise the government, or that it is a coded attack on Boris Johnson.
Most of your readers will heartily disagree with my position on Brexit. I am a committed and determined Leaver. I have fought for us to leave the EU throughout my political career, and I am always alert to campaigns to derail this most important project to restore our national sovereignty. So, why, if this is a Remain coup, would I be supporting it?
Many of your readers will paint me as rightwing. I could certainly never be mistaken for a leftwinger, that’s for sure. People from all parties and from the full political spectrum have individually come to the same conclusion on this issue. There has been no co-ordination or campaign.
Finally, the idea that this is an attack on the prime minister just doesn’t stack up, either. I organised the “Back Boris Tour” and campaigned all over the county to get him elected as our leader and prime minister. My support for
Boris remains unstinting and I believe that he has been doing a great job.
This is not a political issue. It is a moral one.
When the prime minister addressed the nation to announce the lockdown on the 23 March it was a moment of profound seriousness. The government announced that it was taking action to close large parts of the economy and curtail our natural freedoms. It doesn’t get more serious than that.
The people in my constituency, and up and down the country, listened to the prime minister and responsibly and conscientiously joined the national effort to defeat this awful virus by committing to do as they had been asked. They were told to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives, and that is what they did.
It has undoubtedly been very hard for people. Some have been unable to be at the side of the person they love when they have died, some are seeing livelihoods that they have worked so hard for disappearing, some have been stuck in flats with young children and able to go out only to shop or exercise. Most people have dealt with these hardships with very little complaint, and the British people are sensible and fair-minded.
I believe that Mr Cummings did break the rules. Now, if he had accepted that he had done something wrong, and apologised for it, as a fairminded person, I would have thought that would be the end of it. It is the insistence that he did not break the rules and the refusal to apologise that has outraged so many.
This saga is now preventing the government from being able to get their message out clearly. Every announcement on changes to the lockdown rules, track and trace, and government support is bogged down with questions about Mr Cummings. I believe the prime minister is doing a good job. I believe we have the right people to deliver a deal with the EU, I believe that we have the right people to get us through this pandemic, and I believe that we have the best team to do what is needed to restore the economy.
My view has not changed. Mr Cummings should resign.