Open letter to Geoffrey Cox regarding Coronavirus

David Chalmers, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Torridge and West Devon, has sent an open letter to MP Geoffrey Cox, calling on him to condemn the actions of Government Adviser Dominic Cummings in flouting lockdown guidance. In it, Mr Chalmers says that the Prime Minister's decision to retain him as an advisor is having a detrimental impact on trust in the Government and its ability to lead us out of the pandemic, and calls for Mr Cummings to be sacked so that the Government can re-establish its moral authority.

Pointing out that Torridge has one of the lowest incidences of infection in the country as a result of the sacrifices our community has made in adhering to the lockdown, Mr Chalmers said:

'I am fearful that the Prime Minister's decision to retain Dominic Cummings as his advisor will encourage other people to think it is acceptable to break lockdown restrictions, just as we are expecting an influx of visitors this summer.'

In his letter, he asks if Mr Cox would join other members of his party in condemning Dominic Cummings' behaviour, saying:

'If he had travelled to Bideford rather than Durham, would you not be concerned at how his actions could help spread the virus to Northern Devon?'

The full text of the letter is below.

'Dear Geoffrey

I am writing to you to express my deep concern at the behaviour of Dominic Cummings and the Prime Minister's decision to retain him as an advisor and the detrimental impact this is having on trust in the Government and its ability to lead us out of this pandemic.

Here in your own constituency I am sure you are aware of the anger that people are feeling from what they have heard. People have made huge sacrifices to observe the government's lockdown guidance. They have kept away from friends and family, their businesses have suffered, their mental health has been affected. But they did it because the government told them that they must. To not follow these rules would risk spreading the virus and infecting vulnerable people. And the price of widespread infection would be a higher death rate.

As you are no doubt aware Torridge has one of the lowest infection rates of Covid-19 and the lowest number of recorded deaths from the coronavirus in the country. We can and should be proud of this statistic. It reflects on how our community has come together in a crisis. The public has made their sacrifices willingly, they have supported their neighbours and reached out to those in need. They put their trust in their government to lead our country out of this difficult time and were determined each and every one to play their part.

But as I am sure you would agree, we are now at a critical stage in dealing with the pandemic. At the same time as lock down restrictions are being lifted, we need the public to still maintain extreme caution and adhere to social distancing guidelines. The past two months have given us time for the NHS to better prepare for the pandemic but certainly in our region, whist stalling the spread of the disease we are just as vulnerable as we were two months ago. We are expecting an influx of visitors this summer and your constituents are afraid. What if Dominic Cummings's parents lived in Bideford? Would you not be concerned at how his actions could help spread the virus to Northern Devon?

I am fearful that the Prime Minister's decision to retain Dominic Cummings as his advisor, despite his decision to travel to his parents when he and his wife had Coronavirus symptoms, will encourage other people to think it is acceptable to break lockdown restrictions. If Mr Cummings, who was part of the team setting the government's guidelines, is free to interpret them to suit his own particular circumstances, why shouldn't everybody else? And whilst the Queen tells us that we are all in this together, the government is undermining its own efforts and indeed sending out a contradictory message, that there is one rule for them and their mates and another for the rest of us. I am concerned this will mean an increase in infections, and that it will be extremely difficult to reimpose any further restrictions, which will lead to more deaths amongst the British public.

I would ask you to consider joining the other members of your party in condemning Dominic Cummings's actions and to ask the Prime Minister why he is protecting an unelected advisor when others have been fined or made to resign for less. Dominic Cummings' behaviour has undermined the leadership by our elected representatives, and I believe caused your Government to lose the trust of the British public, which could have serious implications for our public health.

The Government needs to re-establish its moral authority to lead the country safely through this most critical time. Only by sacking Dominic Cummings can it hope to do so.

Yours sincerely

David Chalmers

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Torridge and West Devon'