Dominic Cummings said he acted reasonably and did not break the lock rules. (FILE)
London:
British minister said Wednesday it was time to “move on” after Prime Minister’s chief adviser Boris Johnson provoked outrage and widespread contempt on a 400-km (250-mile) road trip ) during the coronavirus shutdown.
Dominic Cummings refused to resign after it was revealed that he had driven from London to the north of England in March with his 4-year-old son and his wife, who was sick at the time, to be close to parents. Johnson supported his advisor.
Opinion polls show that confidence in Johnson has plummeted since the Cummings story appeared in The Mirror and The Guardian on Friday, with some openly criticizing Johnson and Cummings on social media.
Opposition parties and some conservative lawmakers also demanded the resignation of Cummings, the man behind the successful 2016 Brexit campaign and Johnson’s electoral victory in 2019. He refused to apologize.
“Now I think it’s time for all of us to move on,” said BBC Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, adding that people wanted the government to talk about issues other than Cummings.
“That doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal or that people don’t care much about it, but I think there’s a lot more we need to focus on now, like the virus and the virus. ‘economy.”
While nearly 70 million British citizens suffered the most severe lockdown in peacetime history, the news that the second most powerful man in the British government had made such a long road trip was greeted with dismay by many.
The daily Daily Star, a tabloid who likes to report celebrity sex scandals and frolics, even offered the reader a cut-out Cummings mask.
“FREE Do what you want and destroy everyone,” said the Star on the front page. “Wear this practical Dom face cover and you will get away with the murder.”
YouGov found that 71% of people believed that Cummings had broken the lock rules and 59% believed that he should resign.
LOCKING COMPLETED?
Just days before Cummings’ trip, Johnson imposed a lockdown in the UK and asked people to stay at home. He said on March 23 that people “should not meet family members who do not live with you”.
Cummings said he had acted reasonably and had not broken the lockdown rules – a position supported by Johnson and high-ranking ministers who have writhed in the past few days trying to explain whether the lockdown is still in force and, if so, to whom it applies. He refused to apologize.
There was confusion about fines – a minimum of 60 pounds ($ 74) – imposed by the police on thousands of ordinary people for breaking the lock rules.
Jenrick said there would be no formal review of fines for ordinary people and that it was up to the police to decide.
“There will be no formal review, it’s the police, the police follow the law and the guidelines,” he said.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
