Poll: more than half of public want Boris’s aide to resign

PRESSURE is growing on Boris Johnson to sack his top aide over his 250-mile lockdown journey to his parents’ house in County Durham.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has called for Dominic Cummings to be dismissed and for the head of the civil service to investigate the “rule-breaking and the Tory Government’s cover-up” of the trip from London to isolate with his wife and child in the north east.

In the letter to Sir Mark Sedwill and Boris Johnson, Blackford highlights the “matter of serious public concern” with several questions for the PM including when he found out about the trip at the end of March and what role the UK Goverment played in “keeping the public in the dark for eight weeks”.

He also continued his calls for Cummings – who was showing symptoms of coronavirus when he made the journey – to resign over the fiasco, stating his position as “completely untenable”.

Reports also emerged last night that eyewitnesses claimed they say Cummings in the North East again on April 19 - just days after he was photographed in London, meaning he had made a second trip to the area.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard called for Cummings to be axed, saying: “Dominic Cummings acted dangerously and selfishly by flouting the lockdown rules that the rest of the UK has been following. Not only did he choose to ignore the guidance of his own Government, he did so despite knowing he had symptoms of Covid-19.

“Dominic Cummings knew he was risking people’s lives, and did so anyway. That level of disregard for others is inexcusable, and he should be removed from his position immediately.”

The Prime Minister has said Cummings has his full support and members of the Tory Government were also backing the aide, saying he was doing the right thing to care for his family.

Cummings, speaking to reporters outside his London home yesterday, insisted he had acted “reasonably and legally”.

When a reporter suggested to him that the trip to Durham did not look good, he replied: “Who cares about good looks?

“It’s a question of doing the right thing. It’s not about what you guys think.”

He insists no rules were broken as he only made the journey so the family could isolate themselves and receive help with childcare from his sister if both he and his wife became ill.

However, Blackford said: “I have written to Sir Mark Sedwill seeking an immediate investigation into the rulebreaking and the Tory Government’s cover-up – and to call for Dominic Cummings to resign or be sacked.

“Boris Johnson must answer serious questions about his role in this incident and the cover-up – including when he found out, when he heard about the police action, why Mr Cummings wasn’t sacked immediately, and why he kept the public in the dark for eight weeks until a newspaper broke the story.

“Dominic Cummings’s position is completely untenable.

“This is a matter of leadership and judgment for the Prime Minister who must prevent lasting damage to his Government and his own reputation. Millions of us have made huge sacrifices over the months to obey the rules, while Boris Johnson’s most senior adviser was breaking them.

“There cannot be one rule for the Tory Government and another for the rest of us.”

Last month, Scotland’s then Chief Medical Officer was forced to resign after being criticised for not adhering to social distancing advice. Dr Catherine Calderwood apologised and was backed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to remain in the role, despite twice visiting her second home in Fife.

Photos of her and her family near a coastal retreat in Earlsferry – a drive of more than an hour from her main Edinburgh residence – were published in a national newspaper.

Blackford also referred to Calderwood’s resignation and the reaction of the Scottish Conservatives in his reasoning for the letter addressing Cummings’s actions. He added: “The excuses are not credible. There was absolutely nothing in the list of reasons under the law for leaving the house that allowed someone to travel the length of the country to stay with their parents, particularly not someone who was known to have the virus. The Tories vociferously demanded the resignation of Catherine Calderwood that same weekend.

“As Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw said at the time, ‘There cannot be one rule for bosses and another for everyone else’. People are understandably questioning Boris Johnson’s judgment. He must show Dominic Cummings the door and answer for his own role.

“Questions over the Tory cover-up will only grow unless credible answers are provided – or until Mr Cummings is removed from his post.”

Speaking after a UK Government briefing at which Transport Secretary Grant Shapps defended the trip and said Cummings had the Prime Minister’s “full support”, Blackford said: “He ought to have resigned by now, but it’s quite clear after that performance today by the Transport Secretary that there is no real defence and that Dominic Cummings should now be sacked by the Prime Minister.”

He said the Prime Minister should have been answering questions at the briefing, adding that Cummings has “undermined the public messaging that the UK Government has sought to deliver”.

Labour has also written to the head of the civil service to call for an “urgent inquiry” into Cummings’s actions. In a letter to Sir Mark Sedwill, shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said: “The British people have made important and painful sacrifices to support the national effort, including being away from family in times of need.

“It is therefore vital that the Government can reassure the public that its most senior figures have been adhering to the same rules as everyone else.”

Labour claims Number 10’s explanations for Cummings’s behaviour “raised more questions than they answer” including when the Prime Minister was made aware of his decision to travel from London to Durham during lockdown. The letter adds: “The British people do not expect there to be one rule for them and another rule for the PM’s most senior adviser.”

The SNP’s Ian Blackford MP and Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard have called for Cummings to resign like chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood, who also broke lockdown rules