Tory MPs revolt after PM backs Cummings
BORIS JOHNSON has been hit with a ministerial resignation and faced mounting backbench anger over the actions of his senior adviser, Dominic Cummings.
Douglas Ross, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for Scotland, said yesterday that he was quitting after hearing Mr Cummings’ efforts to defend his trip from London to Durham despite the coronavirus lockdown.
The first resignation over the allegations rocking the Government came as Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove sought to defend his longstanding ally as having acted in an “entirely reasonable” way, and within the law.
But Mr Ross, the MP for Moray, said: “I have constituents who didn’t get to say goodbye to loved ones; families who could not mourn together; people who didn’t visit sick relatives because they followed the guidance of the Government.
“I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the Government was right.”
Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw joined at least 23 Tory MPs in having called for the aide to quit, or to be sacked by the PM.
Downing Street insisted the PM had not split the Government by backing Mr Cummings.
But Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC Radio 2 his own postbag showed “many people still disagree” with Mr Cummings’ actions and could not rule out further ministerial resignations.
There was fury on the Tory benches as MPs reflected on the correspondence they had received from constituents.
Former minister Robert Goodwill said: “I’ve been contacted by over 400 constituents who, with one or two exceptions, have been critical of Mr Cummings and his statement yesterday has done nothing to convince them otherwise. I think that the best way for the Prime Minister, who I’m a massive fan of, to show he’s in charge of the situation is to relieve himself of Mr Cummings’ services.”
In a press conference in Downing Street’s garden on Monday, Mr Cummings argued his journey to Durham in March was justified as he sought to protect his family’s health. But many questions remained unanswered, including over his drive to Barnard Castle which he said was to test his eyesight after it was affected by Covid-19.
Former Greater Manchester Police chief constable Sir Peter Fahy said officers had become “frustrated” by the fiasco, which may hinder policing with the rules “now very confused”.
He suggested Mr Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle “certainly appears to be against the Highway Code – it’s not the way to test your eyesight, and put potentially other people in danger”.