The SNP has pressed for a Cabinet Office inquiry into the Dominic Cummings scandal – warning the senior Tory adviser must not be “completely unaccountable” for his rule-breaking.
In a letter to the Cabinet Secretary ahead of Parliament returning on Tuesday, Ian Blackford MP (pictured) has said the confirmation by Durham Police that there was a breach of the regulations – added to what Mr Cummings already admitted on wider breaches of the UK government guidance – meant there was a clear need for an inquiry.
Commenting, SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford MP said:
“Dominic Cummings must not be left completely unaccountable for his actions.
“No matter how exceptional he thinks he is – there cannot be one rule for Tory advisers and another for everyone else.
“There is a real sense of indignation that Boris Johnson has refused to take his responsibilities as Prime Minister seriously and failed to remove Mr Cummings from post – severely undermining trust in the UK government and its public health guidance.
“Over a million people have signed the petition and MPs are still being flooded with messages from our constituents who are flabbergasted that this senior Tory adviser is acting with impunity and getting away with it.
“The Prime Minister has a duty to maintain public confidence in the rules – not undermine them in the middle of a global pandemic.
“The success of test, trace and isolate, and wider efforts to keep the infection rate down and save lives, depends on public compliance.
“Leading public health experts and the police have warned that this scandal has undermined public trust.
“Polling shows two-thirds think people will be less likely to obey the rules – and there is evidence that they are already being broken as a result.
“No one should be above the rules.
“If the Prime Minister won’t act, then there must be a Cabinet Office inquiry into the rule-breaking and the cover-up, and Parliament must find ways to hold Mr Cummings to account.
“Otherwise people will think this is the establishment protecting itself.
“SNP MPs will continue to voice the concerns of our constituents on this scandal and press Boris Johnson to repair the damage he has done to public health.”
