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Johnson has made 'fatal misjudgement' by refusing to sack special adviser, says Stone


By Alan Hendry

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Prime Minister Boris Johnston said his special adviser Dominic Cummings had 'followed the instincts of every father'.
Prime Minister Boris Johnston said his special adviser Dominic Cummings had 'followed the instincts of every father'.

North MP Jamie Stone has accused Boris Johnson of making a "fatal misjudgement" and losing the trust of the British public over his show of support for his embattled special adviser Dominic Cummings.

Mr Stone wrote to the Prime Minister this morning urging him to think again and sack Mr Cummings for alleged breaches of Covid-19 lockdown rules.

Otherwise, Mr Stone insists, the PM will have no hope of regaining the moral authority needed to lead the country through the coronavirus crisis.

In a televised briefing on Sunday, Mr Johnson said Mr Cummings had “followed the instincts of every father” in taking his family from London to the north-east of England when his wife displayed coronavirus symptoms. It is said Mr Cummings wanted to ensure he had childcare.

Further allegations have been made that he made additional trips and there is a growing clamour for him to resign, as well as calls for an inquiry into alleged breaches of "stay at home" instructions.

Mr Stone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, says he has received more angry emails about the matter than any other issue in the past. He said he was "aghast" at the Prime Minister’s defence of Mr Cummings.

"The instant Mr Johnson ended his press conference on Sunday I started getting enraged emails," Mr Stone told the John O'Groat Journal.

"Although I’ve only been an MP for less than three years, I have been in politics a long time and I have never seen anything like this. Patience has snapped in one single instant."

Calling it a "fatal misjudgement", Mr Stone added: "Cavalier, uncaring and irresponsible in his approach, within himself Boris Johnson had always carried the seeds of his own destruction. On Sunday evening they were sown."

In his letter to Mr Johnson, Mr Stone highlights the "huge sacrifices" made by the British public and says he is fearful that the PM's decision to retain Mr Cummings will encourage other people to think it is acceptable to break the lockdown restrictions.

The full text of Mr Stone's letter can be seen below.

Meanwhile, Drew Hendry, the SNP MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, has described Mr Johnson as being not only out of touch with public opinion but "out of touch with reality".

Mr Hendry said: “Sadly, damage to public confidence amid a health and economic crisis seems to be a price worth paying for Mr Johnson to protect his inner circle.

“Every day, families are making tough and often heartbreaking decisions to protect their family, others and our NHS, yet they had to listen to the Prime Minister defend Mr Cummings's actions. People are rightly outraged at why these men seem to think the rules simply don’t apply to them.

“It should be unimaginable that any government would place protecting an adviser’s career above public health and the rule of law.

“I know from my own mailbox the strength of the anger at the Prime Minister’s failure to treat the public with respect. He gave not a thought to those who, by following the rules set by his government, didn’t get to say goodbye to a dying relative, or to our frontline staff putting their lives on the line to protect us all.

“The Prime Minister isn’t just out of touch with public opinion – he is out of touch with reality.

“Mr Cummings must go, and the Prime Minister must put his personal allegiances second to the safety of millions of people. The time to do the right thing is well overdue and the clock is ticking.”

At Sunday’s Downing Street briefing, Mr Johnson signalled he was standing by Mr Cummings.

“I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent and I do not mark him down for that,” the PM said.

He called some of the allegations made against Mr Cummings “palpably false”.

Mr Johnson continued to defend Mr Cummings in response to media questions, insisting the special adviser had acted “correctly and responsibly” and with the "overwhelming aim of stopping the spread of the virus".

He also said it was in line with guidance about what to do when there were particular childcare requirements.

Full text of Jamie Stone's letter to the Prime Minister (Monday, May 25):

"Dear Mr Johnson

"I am writing to you because of the vast number of emails that I have received from constituents this weekend regarding the behaviour of Dominic Cummings, and your decision to retain him as your adviser.

"Without exception my constituents are furious at what they have heard.

"People have made huge sacrifices to observe lockdown guidance. They have kept away from family and friends, their businesses have suffered, and their mental health has suffered. But they did it because the UK and Scottish governments told they they must. That the price of not following the rules was to risk spreading the virus and infecting vulnerable people. And that the price of widespread infection would be a high death rate.

"I am proud of how my constituents, and the British public as a whole, have come together in this crisis.

"They have made their sacrifices willingly, they have supported their neighbours and reached out to those in need. They trusted the Scottish Government and your government to lead our country out of this difficult time, and they were determined to play their part.

"The events of this weekend are a huge betrayal to every one of us who stayed home. To every parent who cared for their child when they were themselves ill. To every person who could not attend the funeral of a loved family member. To everyone who gave up holidays, celebrations and outings for the sake of the wider community.

"I am fearful that your decision to retain Dominic Cummings as your adviser, despite his decision to travel to his parents when he, or his wife, had coronavirus symptoms, will encourage other people to think that it is acceptable to break the lockdown restrictions.

"If Mr Cummings is free to interpret the guidelines to suit his own particular circumstances then why shouldn’t everybody else? I am concerned that this will mean an increase in infections, and that it will be extremely difficult to reimpose any further restrictions. I believe that you and your government have lost that most crucial thing of all – the trust of the British public, and that this could have very serious implication for public health.

"I urge you to reconsider your decision to stand by Mr Cummings. Only by sacking him now have you any hope of regaining the moral authority to lead our nation safely through this crisis."


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