British Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday faced mutiny in his party and fury across the nation for refusing to sack his closest aide, Dominic Cummings, who is accused of flouting the COVID-19 lockdown by driving more than 400km from London.
Defending one of the UK’s most powerful men, Johnson on Sunday said Cummings acted “responsibly and legally and with integrity” by heading from London to northern England with his son and his wife, who was ill with COVID-19 symptoms.
Many believe that was hypocritical given the government’s mantra at the time to avoid such movements.
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“What planet are they on?” asked the Daily Mail, an influential right-wing paper usually supportive of Johnson and his adviser, who helped the prime minister to power and to secure Britain’s exit from the EU.
About 20 ruling Conservative Party lawmakers, 14 Church of England bishops and some scientists also expressed anger.
“Johnson has now gone the full Trump,” said Pete Broadbent, bishop of Willesden, comparing Britain’s leader to his ever-controversial ally US President Donald Trump.
With a death toll of more than 36,000, the UK is the worst-hit country in Europe and the government was already under pressure over its handling of the pandemic.
Conservative lawmakers reported being contacted by outraged constituents who had made sacrifices during the lockdown, including staying away from dying relatives.
“I got swamped with even more e-mails from people who don’t have a political axe to grind and who say... ‘it looks as though it’s one rule for them and one for us, why should we now abide by government guidance?’” Conservative MP Tim Loughton said.
Conservative MP David Warburton yesterday morning told of how his own father died alone as a result of following the rules, and said Cummings’ sactions gave the impression of “double standards.”
“People have made sacrifices, this is a difficult time, this is a time of national crisis,” he told BBC Breakfast. “In those sacrifices there really hasn’t been the choice to use instinct. Instinct hasn’t really been part of it. We’ve been tasked with following regulations laid down by the government.”
Behavioral scientist Stephen Reicher, a member of a panel which advises the government, said the furor would wreck public confidence.
“In a few short minutes tonight, Boris Johnson has trashed all the advice we have given on how to build trust and secure adherence to the measures necessary to control COVID-19,” he said.
Johnson’s Downing Street office said Cummings made the journey to his parents’ property in County Durham to ensure his four-year-old son could be properly cared for by relatives if he fell ill along with his wife.
Cummings has maintained a defiant position throughout, telling reporters outside his home over the weekend: “Who cares about good looks? It’s a question of doing the right thing.”
“It’s not about what you guys think,” he added.
Cummings faces a possible police investigation under health laws over a claim that he breached self-isolation rules by allegedly visiting Barnard Castle on April 12.
Durham police have yet to respond to the complaint, but the Guardian understands the force is considering whether it needs to take any further action in relation to Cummings.
The architect of the successful Brexit campaign in 2016, Cummings, 48, is a polarizing figure, accused by many who wanted to stay in the EU of using inflammatory tactics and playing fast and loose with the facts.
Ominously for him and for Johnson, many of the lawmakers and newspaper columnists calling for him to be sacked were Brexit supporters, not his usual critics.
Coming home late on Sunday, Cummings was harangued by neighbors, including a woman who broke down in tears as she leaned out of her window and described the hardship she and her family had endured during the lockdown.
In contrast to Cummings, Scotland’s chief medical officer and a senior epidemiologist who advised the government both resigned after admitting they had broken lockdown rules.
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