Comment: The Editor

Unless you are waiting out the lockdown on another planet, or hiding up in the Cuillins, you will have heard by now that Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s chief political advisor, faces calls to resign for breaking lockdown rules.

Last week, The Guardian and The Daily Mirror reported that in the middle of lockdown, Cummings drove his family from his London home to his parent’s estate in County Durham, a journey of some 250 miles, to isolate there. According to Cummings, this was for the benefit of his child. His wife was ill with coronavirus symptoms at the time and he wanted to ensure that, should he fall ill too, there was child support in place from wider family.

Debate ensued. Some sympathised: ‘Many parents in a similar position would have done the same thing.’ Several MPs and commentators argued that he had acted in the spirit of the Government’s coronavirus guidance and should not face recriminations for his actions. The Prime Minister also dismissed calls to sack his advisor outright.

Others argued his trip was unacceptable. ‘Many English parents have elected to forego contact with family when faced with similar, difficult circumstances, out of respect for the rules. Others have been fined for disobeying them. Why should Cummings expect favourable treatment?’

This debate was short lived. Minutes after the initial story broke the journalists who wrote it received a tip about a further excursion by Cummings. This time, he was spotted at a North East beauty spot, Barnard Castle, around 30 miles from his parent’s home. Asked for an explanation of why he had travelled there, Cummings said that he was unsure about his eyesight and needed to practice driving before his return journey to London.

This offering, worthy of the pages of Private Eye, didn’t go down well. Within hours, journalists, politicians, and the public at large had called for his head on a stake. Cummings, they fumed, had ignored his own Government’s guidance. As a key member of the PM’s staff, held to a higher standard, he had to go. In Scotland, they fumed further, former Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood was asked to resign when it emerged that she went on a jolly to Fife. Why should Cummings be let off the hook?

“Cumming’s explanation, worthy of the pages of Private Eye, didn’t go down well”

The mood of the country dictates that Dominic Cummings should resign. Over the last few months, millions of people have adhered to the guidance supported by his No 10 team. The English public has isolated from close family, avoided unnecessary travel, been unable to attend funerals and put weddings on hold. If they can make these sacrifices for the sake of the common good, Cummings should too. His actions communicate a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude that is insulting to the electorate. And so far, he has issued no apology.

In keeping his chief advisor on staff, the Prime Minister is bringing his Government into disrepute. Scottish junior Minister Douglas Ross has already resigned and others may follow suit. Whether or not we agree with Ross’s resignation, a Government that has lost the confidence of its own MPs in the midst of national crisis is not something to be desired. And as SNP MP Pete Wishart noted today, the whole saga is distracting from the matter at hand – tackling COVID-19. 

The Prime Minister should ask Cummings for his resignation, draw a line under this stooshie, and get back to the job at hand. If he doesn’t do this, he risks further ill feeling in Parliament, at press conferences, and amongst the public at large, all of which undermines solidarity in the face of coronavirus. He also gives the media an excuse to fixate on the actions of one man, when there is a wealth of other important news to report.

Dominic Cumming’s decision to ignore Government guidance was wrong. However, it must be said that his treatment at the hands of the press and the public is the greater sin.

Cumming’s London flat has been surrounded by an angry gaggle of journalists for days, watching his every move and pouncing on him as soon as he sets foot outside. There’s little social distancing going on there. His wife and child are imprisoned in their own home for fear of being accosted. And his elderly parents have been doorstepped by reporters.

Cummings has been subjected to vitriol and abuse online, on the street and savaged by public figures across the political spectrum. Whether he stays at No 10 or not, his political career may be over. And for years to come, he’ll be labelled as public enemy number one. The butt of cruel jokes and abuse. Setting out to the shop for a pint of milk, wherever he chooses to live in the UK, will be difficult to say the least.

“Cumming’s treatment at the hands of the press and the public is the greater sin”

It’s understandable that the public are annoyed. They’ve been asked to abide by lockdown rules for months and have faithfully done so in most cases. But this does not give people to right to attack Dominic Cummings in the way that they have. 

Christians should be keenly aware of this. Yes, Cummings broke the rules. He acted foolishly. Perhaps even dangerously. However, he is also a man created in God’s image and worthy of respect. He and his family are suffering just now in terms of their mental health, their sleep, perhaps in fear for their very safety. This should provoke compassion, and following an apology, forgiveness.

There is a high degree of hypocrisy behind some of the attacks on Cummings. How many people criticising him for his trip to Barnard Castle have also applied some creative license to the lockdown rules in recent weeks? A second daily exercise here, a hug for mum there… As Jesus said, ‘let him who has not sinned cast the first stone’.

The church must show society a better way to act in the face of debates like the one over Dominic Cummings. Like Christ, we must speak with wisdom, grace and compassion, avoiding judgment and virtue signalling. To do this is to depart from the spirit of the age. Are we up to the challenge?