Derbyshire council leader 'can't understand' why Dominic Cummings hasn't faced repercussions over alleged lockdown trips

Coun Martin Thacker, leader of North East Derbyshire District Council, also says he has had mounting calls from angered constituents and disappointed fellow Conservatives.

Another prominent Conservative Derbyshire councillor, speaking anonymously, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that Mr Cummings should have resigned ‘on day one’ when the news broke.

This comes as the national spotlight remains fixed on the actions and alleged actions – including a 260-mile drive from London to Durham during lockdown – of the Prime Minister’s special advisor which dominated the news over the bank holiday weekend.

Mr Cummings says he does not regret his actions and that he acted ‘reasonably’ and ‘legally’ to ensure the welfare of his family.

Thirty Tory MPs have now called for Mr Cumming’s resignation.

Coun Thacker said: “I understand the reasons he (Mr Cummings) went to Durham in terms of wanting to protect his family, the problem for me is that everybody else manages to stick by the lockdown rules, we all have, or most of us have, and it appears that it’s one rule for one and one rule for another.

“So whether you have any sympathy for him or otherwise I just think well, the rest of us have adhered to what we have been asked to do.

“The problem for me is going to Barnard Castle.

“I don’t understand why he felt that he needed to drive for a 60-mile round trip just to test his eyesight with his wife and son in the car – and that’s one part of the story that I feel needs further investigation.

“Some of my colleagues have spoken with me and they have expressed disappointment in Mr Cummings’ behaviour.

“I have had quite a few telephone calls from constituents who are actually feeling quite angry and they are feeling that they did their bit and now we have got Mr Cummings going and doing something else and what message does that send to everyone in the country?

“I’ve people asking me ‘would it have been alright if I visited my elderly mother’ or ‘what if I had gone to another part of the country to visit relatives I haven’t seen for some time’ they asked what would have happened to them.

“It has been difficult for me to answer that.

“Part of me thinks we understand the human aspect of what he did but we don’t understand why he should be allowed to have no repercussions.

“I think people have started to regress to the way things were before Coronavirus anyway, people travelling about for non-essential reasons, we only have to look at the people gathering in Matlock Bath and the countryside en masse to see that.

“I don’t think the Cummings episode will make a difference but I do think people might use it as an excuse to say ‘well Cummings has done that, so I can as well’.

“I think if people are going to break the rules, they were going to anyway. I don’t think there will be a material difference.

“Part of me feels that there does need to be an investigation, I know opposition MPs have asked for one and I think that is right.

“I do believe there should be an investigation to pursue more details from Mr Cummings about certain aspects of his story and I am particularly referring to the Barnard Castle part of it.

“There are further answers to be had and I think it is right that internal mechanisms of government should explore that, but I don’t feel it warrants a police investigation – I think the police have enough on their hands and have already looked into it.

“They found no laws had been broken even though guidance had been bent slightly.”

Another prominent Tory Derbyshire councillor, who asked not to be named, said: “It is difficult for me to defend.

“From my perspective, and you know I go on fact, although he has not committed any offence, I am finding it hard to believe.

“It is depressing, it is upsetting.

“For me, from day one, the best result would have been for him to resign.

“The whole thing is diverting the emphasis from what we should be doing to something that we shouldn’t be doing.

“It does hurt me, as a Conservative, to say that I don’t agree with what has happened or how it has been handled.

“I think he has worked within the rules very well, whether he did that before or after I don’t know.

“Whether he thought ‘I can do this’ or whether he thought ‘I’m going to do this’ and then got caught out.

“The bit that really hurts me is this test drive through Barnard Castle – it’s just a lie.

If you’re going to do a test drive at all, you would start driving to where you need to go and don’t feel well, come back.

“But if you don’t feel well and are unsure about your eyesight, should you be driving?

“I feel down about the whole situation, it is not helping anyone and I understand completely why people are angry and annoyed.

“I think he looked like he was being honest (in the press conference), that he felt like that was the best thing to do, and no-one can disprove that, if that’s how he felt.

“But I felt it was a bit weak, very weak, especially the trip to Barnard Castle and I think he has got questions to answer still.

“It’s not doing the Conservatives any good, this is going to hurt Boris Johnsons.

“There are those that will always vote Conservative, and they won’t change irrespective of all of this, but there are those that don’t always vote Conservative and that is what will hurt him.”

Coun Barry Lewis, leader of Derbyshire County Council, said: “As a parent myself, I did have some sympathy for the way he (Mr Cummings) did it.

“I am not entirely sure he acted entirely within the framework that was offered at the time for dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown rules that were in force at the time.

“On the one hand I can see why he did it, he thought it was the right thing to do, but on the other hand, I think he probably could have explored other options for doing it.”

Coun Simon Spencer, deputy leader of the county council, said: “Mr Cummings is not an elected official, as far as I’m aware, and that puts him in a different position to what you would expect from an elected representative.

“Having said that, that (whether to fire Mr Cummings) is a decision for the Prime Minister to make, he is directly employed by the Prime Minister’s team and he must make that decision.

“I personally think that if you are going by the strict definition of the guidelines he probably shouldn’t have done what he has done.

“But he put his family first and he made a decision based on his personal circumstances.

“I don’t think it should have any impact on the way other people behave.

“I personally think everyone has got a social responsibility to do the right thing as they see fit and I don’t think that Dominic Cummings’ behaviour or otherwise should reflect on what I see as the British people doing a pretty good job under very difficult circumstances.”

Coun Kevin Buttery, leader of Amber Valley Conservatives, said: “The rules on lockdown will always be interpreted in different ways, dependent upon the circumstances of the individuals who view them. In essence, they will mean different things to different people.

“They were published to advise, guide and provide public reassurance, as against being specifically mandatory.

“Dominic Cummings is not an elected member, so is therefore not bound by the code of conduct in a public office.

“However, in such an influential position, his conduct will always be the subject of public scrutiny.

“Whether he should be sacked is a matter for the Prime Minister and those who employ him.

“However, there always comes a time when you should examine your own conduct and take the view of whether you have achieved the standard that you, yourself, would expect of others.

“The guidelines were brought in to support the NHS, protect lives and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and free from the virus.

“These guidelines are still valid.

“Therefore, it is still important that we continue to follow them, if we are going to contain and win the battle against coronavirus, irrespective of the actions of others.”