Prime Minister has caused lasting damage to public health.
Boris Johnson has caused “lasting damage to his government and public health” by refusing to remove Dominic Cummings from post – as a public petition reached one million signatures.
It follows confirmation from Durham Police that Mr Cummings did break regulations, in addition to what we already knew about him breaking wider UK government guidelines.
In a cross-party meeting with the Prime Minister, SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford told the Prime Minister his judgement and integrity was in question by refusing to act.
MPs across Scotland and the UK have received thousands of emails from constituents on the issue.
While a poll for the Daily Mail has shown 63% say Mr Cummings must be sacked and 65% say his conduct makes it less likely that the public will follow the lockdown rules.
The poll echoes concerns raised by leading public health experts and senior police officers that Mr Cummings’ rule-breaking will undermine efforts to tackle coronavirus.
Commenting, Kirsty Blackman MP said:
“Boris Johnson has caused lasting damage to his government and public health by failing to remove Dominic Cummings from post – despite Mr Cummings breaking the rules and refusing to apologise.
“There cannot be one rule for the Tory government and another for the rest of us.
“The Prime Minister should put his responsibilities to public health first and sack Mr Cummings.
“The public outrage on this issue is clear.
“Over a million people have signed the petition, thousands have been in contact with their MPs, and polls show 63% of the public want the Prime Minister to take his responsibilities seriously and show Mr Cummings the door.
“Most worryingly, leading public health experts and police officers have warned that the Cummings scandal has eroded public trust in the rules and those who make them – putting lives at risk.
“There is growing evidence that people may have broken the rules because of this – with polling showing two-thirds think people will be less likely to obey the guidance as a result.
“This risks undermining track, trace and isolate efforts and could cause the infection rate to rise.
“The longer the Prime Minister keeps Mr Cummings in post the more he will lose credibility and erode public confidence in his government – at the worst possible time.”