Conservative Party Minister, Douglas Ross, has resigned as a member of the government, blaming Boris Johnson’s poor handling of the ongoing scandal surrounding the Prime Minister’s senior advisor Dominic Cummings breaching lockdown rules on multiple occasions.
Writing on Twitter, the now former Junior Scotland Minister said:
“I haven’t commented publicly on the situation with Dominic Cummings as I have waited to hear the full details. I welcome the statement to clarify matters, but there remains aspects of the explanation which I have trouble with. As a result I have resigned as a government Minister.”
In his tweet, Ross included the letter that he had sent to the Prime Minister to confirm his departure from the government.
In it, he states that “Mr Cummings’ interpretation of the government [lockdown] advice was not shared by the vast majority of the people who have done as the government asked“, before adding:
“I have constituents that 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. I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior advisor to the government was right.”
I haven't commented publicly on the situation with Dominic Cummings as I have waited to hear the full details. I welcome the statement to clarify matters, but there remains aspects of the explanation which I have trouble with. As a result I have resigned as a government Minister. pic.twitter.com/6yXLyMzItJ
— Douglas Ross MP MSP (@Douglas4Moray) May 26, 2020
Whilst 20 Tory MPs have already publicly called for Dominic Cummings to resign, Ross becomes the first Minister to resign over the ongoing row.
It is also widely rumoured that more government Ministers are currently considering their positions over the PM’s senior advisor’s refusal to budge – and Ross’s decision could now open the floodgates for further departures.
Ross will continue in his post as the Conservative MP for Moray from the backbenches.
