26 May 2020

My Take on the Dominic Cummings Story in Tweets

"I'll bin you within weeks if you don't fit - don't complain later because I made it clear now."  
- From a job advert on Dominic Cummings's Blog, 2 January 2020 
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make this post, because I feel that everything that could possibly be said about this scandal has already been said. But then I read this morning that the government is, unsurprisingly, looking to pull attention from a story which is damaging confidence in the government and the credibility of their plan to tackle the coronavirus. A few days ago I said that I don’t believe we live in a world where Dominic Cummings gets sacked – then I started obsessively following this story and decided that I wanted to say my piece. So here is my take on the Dominic Cummings story in tweets.

We recently learnt that not only had Boris Johnson’s most senior Special Adviser driven 260 miles from London to Durham at the height of lockdown in March, but also that he did not stay inside while he was there – rather he took a half-an-hour drive to beauty spot Barnard Castle.

There are several reasons why people reproach him for this. First, he seems to have ignored the rules that he helped to write. It’s even thought that he came up with the slogan “Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” (I wouldn’t be surprised; Dominic Cummings has been playing on our love for the NHS since the 2004 North East Says No campaign and the infamous Brexit bus). Secondly, he ignored rules that everyone else had tried so hard to keep – his actions dwarfed their sacrifices. Thirdly, his actions might encourage other people to break the lockdown, as he has effectively added an element of personal discretion to the rules. The government message relies on individuals following the rules – what happens if they start ignoring them because people in power seem to be allowed to do so? Finally, why is it one rule for him, someone who has always claimed to not be part of the Westminster elite, and another for everyone else?

What really pushed me to write this article was the words of Helen Goodman on Radio 4, who lost her father last month in a care home not far from Barnard Castle. “We stuck to the rules, and it was really awful to see him decline, and he died on the 24th of April. And then, yesterday, to learn that Dominic Cummings came to Durham and came to Barnard Castle probably 100 yards from my house and was infectious – what was the point of the sacrifice that we all made? What was the point of the miserable, lonely death that my father had? I just find it utterly repellent.” She wasn’t the only one to have such a story to tell.

Faced with a growing media storm, the Prime Minister spoke out in favour of Dominic Cummings. Boris Johnson doesn’t want to lose his closest adviser in the middle of a national emergency, and how far he has been willing to go to protect this man is a testament to that feeling. Whilst Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood and Professor Neil Ferguson (two people who probably would have been more useful to keep around than a Special Adviser) were forced to resign pretty much immediately after committing far less serious crimes than Dominic Cummings, the PM’s favourite adviser was defended non-stop, and has even be given his own platform to tell his story.

Although he had known about Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham for several weeks, Boris Johnson waited until the press were practically banging down his door before he decided to get the details as to what exactly his adviser was doing hundreds of miles from home. Asked directly about the Barnard Castle visit, the PM said, “When you look at the guidance, when you look at the particular childcare needs that Mr Cummings faced at the time, it was reasonable of him to self-isolate as he did for 14 days or more with his family where he did. I think that was sensible and defensible and I understand it.” He defended Dominic Cummings’ since he acted on “instinct” – funny, I don’t recall instinct being included in the lockdown regulations. Either he broke the rules, or the rules were so poorly communicated that thousands of people abided by them more strictly than they had to.


The PM's statement was followed by a rogue tweet from someone in the Civil Service:

The trouble is, according to the Ministerial Code, Mr. Cummings (whose salary, by the way, is between £95,000 and £145,000 of tax-payers’ money) is only accountable before the PM – but it seems the Prime Minister needs Dominic Cummings.

Ministerial Code, Section 3.3.  
The responsibility for the management and conduct of special advisers, including discipline, rests with the Minister who made the appointment. Individual Ministers will be accountable to the Prime Minister, Parliament and the public for their actions and decisions in respect of their special advisers. It is, of course, also open to the Prime Minister to terminate employment by withdrawing her consent to an individual appointment.

It's understandable why Boris Johnson feels so reliant on his top adviser. Dominic Cummings worked hand-in-hand with Boris Johnson as part of the Vote Leave campaign, he was the architect of the PM's Brexit strategy, essential in the December general election campaign, and key in the coronavirus response.

Up until yesterday evening, we had only heard a few words from Dominic Cummings himself. Confronted by the press, he had the gall to tell reporters that “you’re supposed to be more than 2m apart”. He insisted that he had behaved “reasonably and legally”. He also made a mockery of the reporters, saying, “it’s not about what you guys think.” This got me thinking about Dominic Cummings’ relationship with the principle of accountability: he doesn't see the need to justify his actions before the public. Let’s not forget that in March 2019 he was found in contempt of Parliament for refusing to appear at an MPs’ committee investigating fake news.


Yesterday, this story wasn’t showing any signs of going away. Although just months before Dominic Cummings had written in his blog that he did “not care about trying to 'control the narrative' and all that New Labour junk", Boris Johnson requested that he make a statement and answer questions regarding his trip to Durham. However, as many people pointed out…

So, arriving for his statement just half-an-hour late, Dominic Cummings, as if he were a member of the Cabinet, addressed the nation in the Number 10 garden. Sheepish, he muttered something about not having appeared on TV for a while and how he would “do his best” to answer our questions.





So what did he say? Let’s break down his arguments. 

1. After his wife, Mary Wakefield, fell ill, he drove the family to his parents’ farm, where he stayed in a separate cottage to his parents. He claims that this was so that he could send his son to be looked after by his nieces who lived nearby, if he and his wife became unable to look after him.

 Was that against the rules? The government advice states that “If one of you has symptoms that may be caused by coronavirus, then household members must also stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days.” Not to mention the fact that people have been fined for visiting their second homes during the lockdown - Dr Catherine Calderwood resigned for that very reason. However, the regulations add a special dispensation for people living with children: “Keep following this advice to the best of your ability, however, we are aware that not all these measures will be possible. What we have seen so far is that children with coronavirus (COVID-19) appear to be less severely affected. It is nevertheless important to do your best to follow this guidance.”

I wonder why Dominic Cummings felt the need to travel 260 miles to Durham (therefore in an enclosed space with his child who he claims he was trying to protect) when he has family in London.

He underlined the “exceptional circumstances” he found himself in, given that he had a child. This begs the question, what is so exceptional about having a child? There are 19.2 million families in Britain - should they have all interpreted the rules as liberally as their author?

If what Dominic Cummings did wasn’t against the regulations, it was certainly not in their spirit.

2. He too had fallen ill on the way to Durham. He had been barely unable to stand when he was unwell and he was concerned that the disease had affected his eyesight. His trip to Barnard Castle was after his 14 days of isolation, and was done with the aim of testing to see if he was ready to drive all the way back to London from Durham.

It just so happens this trip to the beauty spot that is Barnard Castle took place on Mary Wakefield’s birthday. Why not drive part of the way to London and if he felt ill turn back? Equally, if he was really worried, why not just wait another day before driving?



Despite these bad excuses that it seems the whole country has seen through, the media anger and the international scrutiny, Dominic Cummings still has not resigned. Today, Junior Minister Douglas Ross MP resigned instead.
The question remains, how far is the Prime Minister willing to go to protect his adviser? His approval rates seem to be dropping – there must come a point when he decides that winning this media battle might not help him win whatever war he is waging.
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