The COVID Diaries – 63 30th May
A new opinion poll by Opinium for the Observer newspaper shows a massive 81% of the population think Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings broke the rules. The poll also found that support for the Conservative party is collapsing, with the Tories now just four points ahead of Labour, having had a commanding lead of 26 points just two months ago.
More than two-thirds of voters – including more than half of Conservatives – want Cummings thrown out of Downing Street for breaching lockdown rules.
In the past week alone, the Tory lead has fallen by eight points, the largest weekly drop the polling organisation has recorded since 2017.
For the last week the news has been dominated by the row over Cummings’ family trip with his wife and child during lockdown from London to Durham, and his refusal to apologise. The Opinium poll confirms the level of public anger. Some 68% think Cummings should resign. If he does not, 66% believe he should be sacked by Johnson.
At a time when it is essential for everybody to maintain social distancing and continue to work together to stop further COVID – 19 infections, the behaviour of Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings is deeply disturbing and is destroying trust in the government.