Dominic Cummings’ alleged lockdown breaches have provoked a resignation from government by a junior minister amid continued anger at Boris Johnson’s chief adviser.
Douglas Ross, the under secretary of state for Scotland, said on Tuesday that he was quitting after hearing Cummings’ efforts to defend his trip from London to Durham.
Ross said he could not “in good faith” tell his constituents who could not care for sick relatives or say goodbye to dying ones while obeying lockdown rules that Cummings acted appropriately.
I haven’t commented publicly on the situation with Dominic Cummings as I have waited to hear the full details. I welcome the statement to clarify matters, but there remains aspects of the explanation which I have trouble with. As a result I have resigned as a government Minister. pic.twitter.com/6yXLyMzItJ
— Douglas Ross MP (@Douglas4Moray) May 26, 2020
The first resignation over the allegations rocking the government came as Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove sought to defend his longstanding ally.
Ross said that “while the intentions may have been well-meaning”, Cummings’ interpretation of the rules was “not shared by the vast majority of people”.
“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,” the Tory MP for Moray wrote.
“I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the government was right.”
