British politics takes tone-deaf turn By: Editorial Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Friday, May. 29, 2020

There is a long and glorious tradition in Britain of politicians and bureaucrats doing the honourable thing by offering their resignations, even if they are not personally responsible for whatever firestorm happens to be engulfing the nation.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/05/2020 (1972 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, have upended tradition by refusing to fall on their swords over a scandal that has seen the prime minister’s popularity plummet and sparked a revolt within his own party.

A fury erupted when newspapers revealed Mr. Cummings — the mastermind behind Mr. Johnson’s 2019 election win and the 2016 Brexit vote — violated the government’s lockdown restrictions by driving his family 400 kilometres to his parents’ farm because he was worried about how his four-year-old son would be cared for if both he and his wife fell ill with COVID-19.

Mr. Cummings soon suffered symptoms, but neither he nor his wife was ever tested, nor were their symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization.

The rules at the time were clear — people in Britain “must stay at home if you or someone you live with has symptoms of coronavirus.”

The prime minister’s chief strategist made a second trip while in Durham, to Barnard Castle, about 48 kilometres away. That also came at a time when nearly 70 million British citizens were adhering to the government’s directive to stay home.

Mr. Cummings offered a much-ridiculed explanation for the second trip, saying his eyesight had suffered during his illness, and his wife wanted him to try a shorter drive to test his vision before making the long trip back to London.

“I don’t regret what I did. I believe I made the right judgment, though I understand that others may disagree with that.” – Dominic Cummings

“I don’t regret what I did,” Mr. Cummings said. “I believe I made the right judgment, though I understand that others may disagree with that.”

To say others disagree is an understatement. In flouting pandemic-lockdown rules — rules he helped design — Mr. Cummings uncorked outrage from ordinary citizens, who complain there is clearly one standard for those in power and another for everyone else.

The anger has intensified as Mr. Cummings refuses to apologize and his boss refuses to fire him. Mr. Johnson said he considers the matter closed because British police said while lockdown rules may have been breached, they will take no action against Mr. Cummings.

The scandal is taking a huge political toll as Mr. Johnson — who was in intensive care with COVID-19 last month — has seen his personal approval ratings drop 20 points in just four days.

In brushing aside calls for Mr. Cummings to be sacked, the prime minister has sparked a revolt by almost 100 of his own MPs. Even tabloid newspapers that traditionally back Tory leaders have pummelled Mr. Cummings and Mr. Johnson, with the Daily Mail’s front page asking, “What Planet Are They On?”

Jonathan Brady / Associated Press pool
British political adviser Dominic Cummings violated the government’s lockdown restrictions by driving his family 400 kilometres to his parents’ farm. — Jonathan Brady / Associated Press pool British political adviser Dominic Cummings violated the government’s lockdown restrictions by driving his family 400 kilometres to his parents’ farm.

The only person who has lost his job is Douglas Ross, a junior minister for Scotland, who resigned because he felt someone had to do the right thing.

“I have constituents who didn’t get to say goodbye to loved ones; families who could not mourn together; people who didn’t visit sick relatives because they followed the guidance of the government,” Mr. Ross said in his resignation letter. “I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the government was right.”

A swift apology might have laid the affair to rest, but Mr. Cummings has refused to do that, and his boss insists his senior strategist acted “responsibly, legally and with integrity.” Which leaves them facing another glorious tradition — taking whatever medicine voters dish out.