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More than 500,000 people have now signed a petition calling for Dominic Cummings to be sacked.
The change.org petition, entitled ‘Dominic Cummings must be sacked’ was set up on Saturday, and on Monday afternoon was racking up hundreds of signatures every minute.
It was revealed by The Mirror and The Guardian on Friday that the prime minister’s chief advisor had broken lockdown rules just days after they were announced by Boris Johnson – travelling some 260 miles to Durham with his family.
Cummings travelled to County Durham in March to self-isolate with his family – apparently because he feared that he and his wife would be left unable to care for their son – while official guidelines warned against long-distance journeys.
The PM has backed this version of events, telling the nation that Cummings’ had acted “responsibly, legally and with integrity”, following the “instincts” of “every parent”.
Further reports also suggest he took a second trip to the North East in April, having already returned to London following his recovery from Covid-19 – a disease which has seen more than 45,000 people in the UK die after contracting it. Downing Street and Cummings himself have vehemently denied a second trip.
The PM has since faced fierce criticism for his handling of the saga, with some of his own MPs calling for Cummings to resign or be sacked, and scientific advisors warning that his actions – and the PM’s backing – had “fatally undermined” the aim of lockdown.
One of the petition’s signatories wrote: “There’s no justification for travelling 250 miles for family support, we all have to rely on local friends and online shops when isolating.”
Another added: “He should not be allowed to behave differently to the rest of the country.
“By going against his own advice he makes a mockery of what every other British person has been told to do.
“If he is not sacked or does not resign he risks creating even more disillusionment... with the government.”
In a highly unusual move, the Downing Street advisor has announced that he will be making his own statement on Monday afternoon.