FOR BRITAIN’S SAKE...GET ON WITH THE JOB!
As Cummings leak row envelops Government during Covid fight, MPs say...
BORIS Johnson has been urged to “rise above” attacks by his former aide Dominic Cummings and focus on continuing to deliver for the nation.
The Prime Minister should not be distracted by his ex-adviser’s bitter assault and plough on in winning the war against Covid, senior Tories have warned.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the public do not want politicians to
waste time dealing with the “personal vendettas” of ousted former advisers.
Writing in the Daily Express, he said the Government should “rise above” the “settling of scores” of ex-aides.
Sir Iain wrote: “This selfindulgent tit for tat risks calling into question the very effectiveness of government at a critical time. And those in government should rise above it and do the job they were elected to do.”
The successful vaccination programme and lockdown restrictions have seen Covid levels plummet.
Ministers are poised to sign a new deal with Pfizer for more vaccines this autumn to “protect people over the winter and let us enjoy Christmas”.
As the country moves through the next phase of the roadmap out of lockdown, the Government wants to focus on its plan to create new jobs, level-up the country, strike global trade deals, invest in infrastructure and rebuild the economy.
A No 10 spokesman said: “The Government is totally focused on delivering the people’s priorities as we continue our vaccination programme and recover from coronavirus – creating new jobs and building back better.”
Frustration
The Prime Minister’s row with Mr Cummings after days of claims about the access of businessmen to top ministers hascaused frustration among Conservative backbenchers.
They believe the attacks are a distraction at a time when the Government is trying to keep the country on track to end Covid restrictions in June. But a senior Tory MP said the public has such a low opinion of Mr Cummings after he flouted lockdown rules that he has a “credibility problem” and is viewed as “close to the bottom of the pile”.
The MP said: “Nobody is going to say Dominic Cummings is a really good bloke and wants the best for Britain.
“They are going to say Dominic Cummings got sacked and now he is trying to pay back the people who sacked him.”
A briefing war erupted after it was alleged Mr Cummings was the mole leaking private messages between the Prime Minister and businessman Sir James Dyson over tax rules.
The tycoon had been asked to help provide ventilators at the height of the Covid crisis. Mr Cummings then made a series of allegations about his former boss, including claims that Mr Johnson wanted Tory donors to secretly fund a revamp of his Downing Street flat.
Tory MP Sir John Redwood said: “These opposition MPs who are trying to make something of it have got to put up or shut up.
“They have got no strong allegation. The Prime Minister said he paid for his own refurbishment, well that’s fine then.What’s the story?”
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss dismissed Mr Cummings’s allegations as “tittle tattle” and said she had been assured the rules for ministers had been followed.
She said: “I have been assured that the rules have been fully complied with and I know that he has met the costs of the flat refurbishment. I absolutely believe and trust that the Prime Minister has done that.
“What people want to know is that in line with the rules the
Prime Minister has met the cost of this refurbishment. That has happened.
“All the costs will be declared in line with the rules. That, as far as I am concerned, completely answers that question.”
Ministers are braced for a fresh onslaught from Mr Cummings when he gives evidence to MPs investigating the Government’s response to the pandemic next month.
He is widely known to have been critical of Mr Johnson’s delay in launching a second lockdown in England when cases began rising last autumn. Ms Truss added: “The
Prime Minister, who I work very closely with, has consistently through this crisis acted in the best interests of the country. “These noises off are simply not helpful, they are not contributing to a positive future and they don’t reflect what is actually going on in Downing Street.” Labour has seized on the claims made by Mr Cummings to continue its attack on the Tories about the way the Government is being run.
The party is demanding ministers answer questions about the row in the House of Commons today.
But, despite continued attacks
on the PM, the Tories are currently on 45 points to Labour’s 36, according to the latest Opinium poll.
Bookmaker Coral said its odds on the Tories winning the next general election remain unchanged at 4/7.
It comes as the country’s most senior civil servant is grilled today by MPs over how businesses interact with the Government.
Cabinet Secretary Simon Case faces questions about the collapsed lender Greensill Capital’s links to the Government when he appears before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs committee.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron faced criticism after texting Chancellor Rishi Sunak directly on behalf of the company, which he had a financial interest in.
The revelations triggered the
rows about lobbying that led to the text messages between Sir James Dyson and Mr Johnson being revealed.
Mr Case will be asked about “the effectiveness of the relevant legislation and codes of conduct in ensuring government business is conducted ethically and with propriety,” the committee said.
Conflicts
A spokesman said: “The committee will also look at specific issues concerning the relationship between Greensill, current and former ministers, and senior civil servants.
“This will include Lex Greensill’s exact role in Number 10, and potential conflicts of interest for civil servants and ministers.”
DOES anyone take seriously the spiteful threats from divisive Downing Street aide Dominic Cummings? Or lose sleep over the substance of leaked texts?
As Liz Truss says, it is all just tittle tattle. The only person to whom it matters is Labour leader Keir Starmer, who is desperate to concoct a story of Government sleaze to cover his own failings.
That’s the same Keir Starmer who was happy to clamour for ventilators, along with PPE, at the height of the first lockdown but now sees something dubious in the Prime Minister’s efforts to urgently secure such equipment with help from industrialists like James Dyson.
What really matters to people is when they will get their vaccinations, when they will see the end of Covid restrictions, and whether they will have a job as we come out of lockdown.
So far, the vaccine roll-out has been an astonishing success, the economy is looking set fair to bounce back from the pandemic, and there are already welcome signs of levelling up around the country.
Boris Johnson must not let himself get side-tracked by petty nonsense but must stick to the task of governing.