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More Than One Million People Sign Petition Calling For Dominic Cummings To Be Sacked

More Than One Million People Sign Petition Calling For Dominic Cummings To Be Sacked

The backlash over his 260-mile drive during lockdown doesn't seem to be going away

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

More than one million people have signed an online petition calling for Dominic Cummings to be sacked.

The Prime Minister's chief aide has faced a severe backlash after it was revealed he travelled from his home in London to his parents' house in Durham - 260 miles away - during lockdown and while his wife was suffering from suspected coronavirus symptoms.

PA

He then took a second trip to Barnard Castle which is around 30 miles from Durham before returning to London.

The 48-year-old gave a statement and took questions earlier this week, in which he defended his actions, saying: "I don't regret what I did. Reasonable people may well disagree about how I thought about what to do.

"I think what I did was reasonable in these circumstances. In terms of the rules, I think the rules made clear if you're dealing with small children that can be exceptional circumstances.

"I think the way I dealt with it was the least risk to everybody concerned if my wife and I were unable to look after our four-year-old."

He, somewhat bizarrely, went on to say that he had driven from his parents' home to the castle as a way to test his eyesight, claiming his eyesight suffered after he also had symptoms of the virus.

"My wife was very worried," he explained on Monday. "Particularly because my eyesight seemed to have been affected by the disease. She didn't want to risk a nearly 300 mile drive with our child, given how ill I had been.

"We agreed to go for a short drive to see if I could drive safely. I drove for roughly half an hour and we ended up on the outskirts of Barnard Castle town."

Cummings then said that following the trip he did feel well enough to drive back to their home in London.

PA

On Thursday, Durham Police said in relation to the trip to the castle: "There might have been a minor breach of the regulations that would have warranted police intervention. Durham Constabulary view this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing."

The force went on to say that it would be taking 'no further action' over the incident.

Many Brits have been left unsatisfied with the outcome and are demanding that the senior aide step down. One intensive care doctor currently working on the front line during the outbreak has even threatened to resign from his job if Cummings doesn't.

However, Boris Johnson has stood by his aide, telling the public 'in every respect he [Cummings] has acted responsibly and legally'.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, lockdown, Politics