How Dominic Cummings' lockdown breach turned Michael Gove and co into a laughing stock – Brian Wilson

Michael Gove’s defence of Dominic Cummings’ lockdown breach is worth a watch, writes Brian Wilson
Dominic Cummings did not abide by lockdown rules that many families in worse situations did, says Brian Wilson (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire)Dominic Cummings did not abide by lockdown rules that many families in worse situations did, says Brian Wilson (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Dominic Cummings did not abide by lockdown rules that many families in worse situations did, says Brian Wilson (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire)

When it comes to Dominic Cummings, I am in the “let’s move on” camp, leaving the great Svengali and those who pledge such craven allegiance to him to stew in their own ignominy.

I watched three minutes of Cummings’ press conference before deciding it was the old trick of offering so much detail that the central charges would get lost. It didn’t work because nobody really cared about the detail.

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Thousands of families with circumstances at least as upsetting had followed the rules while Cummings had not. End of... None of the others had access to the Downing Street garden, in itself a reduction of politics to farce.

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Police: Dominic Cummings made 'minor' breach of lockdown rules

As Cabinet ministers were drilled into robotic support, my favourite was Michael Gove when interviewed by Nick Ferrari on LBC. If you haven’t seen the video clip, make the effort. It’s worth it – since Gove is supposed to be the clever one.

“Would you go on a 60-mile round trip to test your eyesight?” Gove: “I have, on occasion in the past, driven with my wife in order to make sure that... what’s the right way of putting it...?”

Ferrari could not believe his luck. “I’m staggered. I don’t know how you are going to get out of this. But it should be fun.” Thus was Gove reduced to national laughing stock, all in the cause of protecting Cummings. Leave them to it.

One minister took a different tack and Douglas Ross deserves respect for identifying a straightforward matter of principle and acting accordingly. Calling for other people to resign is easy but doing it oneself involves real sacrifice – which is why it very rarely happens.

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