In his latest column the Midsomer Norton MP Jacob Rees Mogg writes:

As a number of constituents have written to me about the Prime Minister's chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, I thought it worth setting out what happened as there have been so many stories flying around.

On Monday, Mr. Cummings held a press conference at 10 Downing Street setting out why he had travelled with his family to Durham during lockdown.

The decision to drive to his parents' house was taken by Mr. Cummings to ensure the wellbeing of his family in line with both medical and legal advice. This would have been the same for anyone, it was reasonable to make a journey for the safety of a child. He was told that in doing so he posed no risk and was not breaking any laws. After isolating for two weeks in line with government guidelines, Mr. Cummings, who had experienced Covid symptoms, returned to work at Downing Street.

Since the story broke Mr. Cummings has endured intense media scrutiny, calls for his resignation, abuse and even death threats, culminating in an unprecedented appearance in front of journalists where he spoke humbly and honestly about the events surrounding his family having to move out of their normal abode.

As I have said publicly, any parent would do what is necessary to make sure that their child is safe at all times. Therefore, politically motivated attacks on a good father are discreditable and the level of hostility being directed at Mr. Cummings, simply for wanting to protect his family and help keep the country running during a time of unparalleled crisis ignores the facts. Crucially, anyone else doing the same would have had the same right to do so.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any assistance: www.jacobreesmogg.com / [email protected]