Sussex Tory MP Tim Loughton says Dominic Cummings must go

Boris Johnson’s right hand man drove hundreds of miles with his wife and child to self-isolate with family.

The Prime Minister’s chief aide went to his parents in Durham, more than 260 miles from his London home, amid the UK lockdown in which the Government pleaded with people to “stay home, save lives”.

His wife had coronavirus symptoms at the time.

Now East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton has said it is time for his fellow party member to go.

The Tory politician said the subject had “dominated” his email inbox over the weekend, and many of those who contacted him were anti-Brexit constituents who “could not wait for the facts to catch up with the political axes they were keen to grind”.

Though Mr Loughton admitted he was “not a fan” of Mr Cummings, he said it was “better to do my own research” before releasing a statement on the situation late last night.

He said: “(I) waited for further justification for his actions in the media today and hopefully at the Downing Street briefing given by the Prime Minister this afternoon or even from Dominic Cummings himself.

“Alas I have seen no justification that has convinced me and more importantly I have seen little evidence that it has convinced my constituents or the public at large.

“Instead I have been concerned at the considerable damage that this story is doing to the Government and most crucially to its authority to carry on the important work it needs to continue to do to keep us all safe.

“Since the Downing Street press conference, along with most other parliamentary colleagues, I have been deluged by many more emails from constituents calling for Dominic Cummings to stand down.

“Notably, many of them are from people who are writing to me for the first time as their MP, some citing considerable sacrifices that they and their families have had to make during the lockdown.

“They cannot understand or approve therefore of what looks like ‘double-standards’ applied to one Government official.

“As with all correspondence from constituents I read it carefully and take note.”

Mr Loughton said it was “with regret” that “the position of Dominic Cummings is untenable as the chief adviser to the Government and he must resign or be removed”.

He said: "That is a great pity for someone who has contributed so much to the Government in various forms and whose intellect and strategic thinking are truly impressive.

"But his continuing in the role any longer can only undermine the authority of the Prime Minister and the Government at a time when both need to be completely focussed on getting the nation through the next stage of the coronavirus crisis.

"I am also worried that a number of scientists providing expert advice to the Government have also expressed the concern that their work is at threat of being undermined."

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his aide at a press conference yesterday.

He said his chief adviser had “acted responsibly, legally and with integrity” saying that his colleague had “followed the instincts of every father and every parent, and I do not mark him down for that”.

This followed “extensive face-to-face meetings between the pair at Downing Street yesterday.

Mr Johnson said: “I have concluded that, in travelling to find the right kind of childcare, at the moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus - and when he had no alternative - I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent.”

Despite sharing his disagreement with the Prime Minister's decision, Mr Loughton praised Mr Johnson's work during the pandemic.

He said: "I have been very impressed with the way that Boris Johnson, despite his own near-death experience, has managed the crisis and led the nation through a time of unprecedented challenge.

"It is essential that he is free to carry on this vital work without the distraction that Dominic Cummings remaining headline news would inevitably bring.

"It is essential that the Government continues to carry the trust of the people to continue to make the difficult judgements that we need ministers to make.

"I have notified the Whips and the Chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs of my views."