PM's Defence of Dominic Cummings Rejected by Birmingham MPs

Preet Gill, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, and Steve McCabe, MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, have both voiced their disapproval at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to support aide Chief Advisor, Dominic Cummings and the subsequent defence of his actions.

Cummings and his family drove 260 miles from London to Durham on 27th March to be nearer to relatives, following his wife’s development of coronavirus symptoms, The Guardian and the Mirror reported on the 22nd May. At this time, the government had warned people not to travel to tourist locations and yet, on 12th April, Cummings and his family drove 30 miles to Barnard Castle.

Johnson insists that his aide acted ‘responsibly, legally, and with integrity.’

However, other Labour and Conservative MPs have called for Cummings to resign.

In a public statement on the 25th May, Cummings defended his actions, stating that he believed he acted ‘reasonably.’

In a tweet published on the 24th May, Preet Gill described Johnson’s decision to support Cummings as ‘poor judgement by the Prime Minister. It’s [sic] clear that Dominic Cummings acted irresponsibly.’

Poor judgement by the Prime Minister

Gill added that ‘it cannot be one rule for him and another for the rest of us!’, voicing an opinion widely held by critics of the Prime Minister’s latest move. She later criticised the lack of apology from Cummings.

McCabe also voiced similar sentiments: ‘How can we ever trust the word of a PM who says live on air that Cummings obeyed the law?’ he tweeted, going on to state that ‘[he] always thought [Cummings] a narcissistic liar’ and that ‘only total sycophants will ever believe [Johnson] from here on in. No rational person will fall for this [sic].’

McCabe later described Cummings’ explanation for his actions as ‘less than convincing,’ describing the aide as ‘[an] unelected apparatchik running the show.’

In another tweet, McCabe slammed Johnson’s defence of Cummings, saying: ‘This isn’t leadership, it’s the misuse of power & [sic] privilege.’ McCabe also said he ‘[understood] the terrible sense of frustration & [sic] betrayal’ felt by his constituents, ‘ordinary folk who’ve made sacrifices & [sic] obeyed the rules & [sic] feel totally let down.’

Other Birmingham MPs have also voiced their support for Cummings’ removal.