Bishop of Worcester slams PM for his defence of Dominic Cummings - The Droitwich Standard

Bishop of Worcester slams PM for his defence of Dominic Cummings

Droitwich Editorial 25th May, 2020 Updated: 25th May, 2020   0

THE BISHOP of Worcester has savaged Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his ‘risible’ defence of under-fire chief of staff Dominic Cummings.

Rt Rev Dr John Inge was among more than dozen Church of England bishops who launched fierce broadsides at Mr Johnson following his appearance at the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing yesterday (Sunday).

The Prime Minister offered his full support for the Number 10 svengali who admitted travelling more than 260 miles from London to Durham for childcare support after his wife began displaying coronavirus symptoms.

Mr Cummings made the journey despite official Government advice to stay home and avoid contact with family members outside of those in the same household. The government defended the Prime Minister’s chief adviser and said the trip was necessary as both he and his wife had coronavirus symptoms.




However, writing on Twitter following yesterday’s news conference, Bishop John said: “The PM’s risible defence of Cummings is an insult to all those who have made such sacrifices to ensure the safety of others.

“He tells us Cummings ‘followed the instincts of every father’ and that he ‘does not mark him down for that’.


“The point is that thousands of parents, including me, have not been able to follow their instincts because they felt they had to obey the rules,” he added.

The furore continued yesterday with further allegations Cummings was seen at Barnard Castle, more than 30 miles away from the family home, and that he made a second trip to the North East after returning to London.

Speaking during yesterday’s briefing, the Prime Minister described some of the claims as ‘palpably false’.

So far, 15 Conservative MPs including high profile Brexiteers Steve Baker and Caroline Nokes have called for Mr Cummings to go.

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