Bishops ask: Do we accept being lied to and treated as mugs?

CHURCH of England bishops have accused Boris Johnson of treating people ‘as mugs’ and with ‘no respect’ after he defended the lockdown actions of his chief aide.

At a press conference, the prime minister said Dominic Cummings had ‘acted responsibly, legally and with integrity’ by driving 60 miles to Durham to isolate because of childcare concerns.

But writing on Twitter, The Rt Rev Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds (pictured), said: ‘The question now is: do we accept being lied to, patronised and treated by a PM as mugs?

‘The moral question is not for Cummings – it is for PM and ministers/MPs who find this behaviour acceptable. What are we to teach our children?’

The Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon, wrote: ‘Integrity, trust and leadership were never there; just a driven misguided ideology of power that has total disregard for the most weak and vulnerable, and those who work to protect and care for us with relatively low pay.’

The Rt Rev Vivienne Faull, Bishop of Bristol, tweeted: ‘#livingdifferently in a nation where the PM has no respect for the people. The bonds of peace and our common life... have been dangerously undermined.’

The Rt Rev Pete Broadbent, Bishop of Willesden, tweeted: ‘Johnson has now gone the full Trump.’

And the Rt Rev Dr Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield, wrote: ‘The PM & his cabinet are undermining the trust of the electorate and the risks to life are real.’ The Rt Rev Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, wrote: ‘Unless very soon we see clear repentance, including the sacking of Cummings, I no longer know how we can trust what ministers say sufficiently for @churchofengland to work together with them on the pandemic.’