MOUNTING PRESSURE ON TORIES TO STOP DODGING SCRUTINY

Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MSP Alasdair Allan has joined calls for Dominic Cummings to resign - after it emerged that police investigated the Tory Prime Minister's most senior advisor for breaking his own government's lockdown rules.

Over the weekend it emerged that Mr Cummings broke lockdown rules to drive his family 264 miles to his parents’ estate in Durham while his wife, who was in the car, was suffering coronavirus symptoms - with at least 19 Conservative MPs publicly calling on the adviser to face the consequences for his actions.

And in an extraordinary press conference in the Downing Street garden on Monday night, instead of resigning Cummings admitted to a series of further breaches of lockdown. Cummings refused to apologise or even accept that he had fatally undermined the essential public health message that people who have the virus should stay at home.

There is now mounting pressure on the Scottish Tories to condemn the Prime Minister for allowing his top advisor to risk seriously undermining the essential public health message that people who have the virus should stay at home.

Alasdair Allan MSP commented:

“Every day I get calls or emails from people who can’t travel because of the lockdown guidance. There are heart-wrenching stories from those who can’t come to the aid of friends and family, or see loved ones for the last time. Islanders have made enormous emotional and economic sacrifices over the last few months to obey the rules and help save lives.

“The fact that Boris Johnson's most senior adviser was breaking these rules, possibly on multiple occasions, means he should have no place in government. He should have resigned but instead he showed no contrition and refused to say sorry for his behaviour which has left millions of people - who have been sticking to the rules - justifiably furious.

“People must have confidence that the Tory government is following its own rules - not being investigated by the police for breaking them. As Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw said: 'There cannot be one rule for bosses and another for everyone else.’

“In Scotland, the clear public health advice has not changed. The Scottish Government will review the current rules on Thursday and hopefully this will lead to a gradual easing of some restrictions, evidence permitting. However, for now, people in the Western Isles should continue to stay at home - it really is helping to save lives.”