Two-thirds of Brits think Dominic Cummings broke lockdown rules, YouGov poll finds

More than two-third of Brits believe Dominic Cummings broke lockdown rules when he drove to his parents’ farm in Durham, according to a new survey.

YouGov polling released on Tuesday revealed that 71 per cent of respondents said the journey taken by the Prime Minister's top adviser in March breached restrictions rolled out by Government in a bid to curtail the coronavirus pandemic.

The data showed 20 per cent of the 1,160 adults polled nationwide did not think Mr Cummings had broken the lockdown rules, while nine per cent said they did not know.

YouGov's survey also revealed that some 59 per cent of Britons now think Mr Cummings should resign from his role over the controversy.

Meanwhile, 27 per cent of those surveyed believe Mr Cummings should not resign while 14 per cent answered “don’t know”.

The data showed 52 per cent of respondents who voted Leave at the 2016 EU referendum want Mr Cummings, the architect of the Vote Leave campaign, to resign, with 38 per cent answering “should not resign” and 10 per cent “don’t know”.

The survey comes amid mounting pressure on the Prime Minister's top aide, whose efforts to explain his actions during a hastily-arranged press conference at Downing Street on Monday failed to quell the furore engulfing him.

Mr Cummings said at the press conference that he had made the journey to Durham to be near relatives because he was worried he and his wife may not be able to look after their child if they both fell ill with coronavirus.

Mr Cummings added that before returning to London, he went on a “short drive” with his wife and child to Barnard Castle, a town about 25 miles away.

He said he took the journey because he wanted to check he was safe to drive back to London after his eyesight had been affected by a suspected Covid-19 infection.

Several senior ministers - including Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Chancellor Rishi Sunak - posted messages of support for Mr Cummings on Twitter following the press conference.

But on Tuesday, a succession of rank-and-file Conservative Party MPs instead backed calls from across the political spectrum for Mr Cummings to resign, or be sacked.

Conservative MP Mark Harper said in a statement posted on Twitter that Mr Johnson's aide “should have offered to resign, and the Prime Minister should have accepted his resignation”.

The Forest of Dean MP added: “In the round, an argument can be made for Mr Cummings’ trip to Durham and his actions as a father.

“However, the conclusion he reached as to whether this was the right course of action is not the conclusion I believe many of my constituents and people across our country would have reached. It’s certainly not the conclusion I would have reached, given the sacrifices many are having to make in the interests of the nation’s health.

“As for Mr Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle on 12 April, an apology should have been made and a level of regret expressed. I was disappointed that Mr Cummings did neither.”

Mr Harper also said in the statement that he would “expect an adviser who had damaged the credibility of the Government’s central message so badly and had become the story to consider their position”.

He added: “Difficult times are ahead, which will require the Government to be able to deliver clear and credible public health messages. In the interests of us all, I hope this will still be possible.”

Former minister Stephen Hammond meanwhile told his constituents in Wimbledon that Mr Cummings’ actions may have undermined efforts to protect people from coronavirus, and he should have quit.

He said: “Whilst one might have some sympathy with his motives and his concern for his family, I am angry that so many have sacrificed so much for public safety and yet this man has decided his interpretation of ‘doing the right thing’ overrode the clear instruction of Stay at Home.

“It is clear to me that Mr Cummings has broken some of the guidelines which we all were instructed to follow.”

Mr Hammond added that “public adherence to the rules is achieved by consent in this country and that is made much harder if people feel it is one rule for them and another for senior Government advisers”.

The pair's comments came after Douglas Ross, a minister in the Scotland Office, resigned from the Government over the issue.

Read more

PM's approval ratings plunge as minister quits over Cummings row-LIVE