Moray MP Douglas Ross has resigned from his Government position in the Scottish Office following the full statement yesterday from Dominic Cummings over his controversial trips to Durham during the lockdown.
Commenting Douglas said: “I received many representations about this matter and fed these into government over the weekend, but I held back from commenting publicly as I did not have all the details.
“However, following the statement where Dominic Cummings provided some clarity on the situation there still remained issues with his explanation that I had trouble with, and therefore felt I had to resign from Government to be able to express these.
“As a father myself I would do everything I could to protect my son and wife, but thousands of families have faced a similar situation to the one the Cummings found themselves in and they strictly followed the advice to stay at home.
“This has been a tough time for so many. Families have been separated while loved ones received treatment or sadly passed away. We will get through this pandemic and our country will recover but that will only happen if we work together. I can’t support anything that suggests there are different rules for different people.
“It has been an honour and privilege to serve in the Scotland Office. There was a lot more I wanted to do, but I have to be true to myself and those who entrusted me with their support at the last election to stand up and represent them. While I have now left Government, I will do all I can to continue to represent and support the people of Moray to the best of my abilities from the backbenches.
“We also have to focus again on the battle against Covid-19 to ensure we continue to save lives and livelihoods. That is my priority and I know it is the priority for governments across the UK.”
SNP MSP Richard Lochhead commended the MP: “I commend Moray MP Douglas Ross for resigning from the Scotland Office and UK Government in response to the issues relating to Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings’ decision to travel when his family should have been self-isolating due to Covid-19 symptoms.
“This will have been a difficult decision for Douglas. I know that we have both been contacted by many constituents angry with the whole affair and how it’s been handled.”
