CONSERVATIVE politicians on St Helens Council have called on Dominic Cummings to resign to allow the government to continue its fight against coronavirus.

Pressure has been mounting over the weekend for Boris Johnson’s chief advisor to step down following his lockdown trip to County Durham at the height of the pandemic.

On Monday afternoon, Mr Cummings faced the nation to finally give his side of the story, which broke on Friday evening before dominating the news agenda over the bank holiday weekend.

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Mr Cummings said he believed he had acted “reasonably” and within the law when he drove 260 miles with family from London to Durham on March 27 – days after the UK went into lockdown.

During his time in Durham, Mr Cummings said he and his wife, the journalist Mary Wakefield, and his four-year-old son stayed in an isolated cottage on his parents’ farm.

Speaking in the Downing Street Rose Garden, Mr Cummings answered numerous questions from journalists, where he said he did not regret driving 260 miles during lockdown and refused to apologise.

After explaining his actions, Cllr Allan Jones, leader of the Conservative group on St Helens Council, said Mr Cummings made a “grave error of judgement”.

And St Helens Tory councillors have joined the growing number of voices who believe the PM’s chief advisor must now step down.

“This is an issue for the national party,” said Cllr Jones.

“Here in St Helens we are concerned with the regeneration of the town centre, the Local Plan and the deep divisions within the ruling Labour group.

“However, my own personal opionon is that Dominic Cummings has made a grave error of judgement.

“He has now made a long statement trying to convince people that what he did was acceptable. The people remain unconvinced.

“The whole issue is now getting in the way of fighting coronavirus and therefore Dominic Cummings should go so the government can focus on the fight against this evil virus.”

St Helens Star: Cllr Allan Jones, leader of the Conservative group on St Helens Council Cllr Allan Jones, leader of the Conservative group on St Helens Council

During his address, Mr Cummings said he decided to travel to his parents’ farm in Durham after his wife took ill on March 27, shortly after the Prime Minister tested positive for COVID-19.

Mr Cummings said he believed there was a “distinct probability” he had already contracted COVID-19, and was worried that if he and his wife became seriously ill, there was nobody in London that they could “reasonably ask” to look after their son.

He said he believed his family’s case was an “exceptional situation”, covered in the lockdown guidelines, which is there to protect people at risk of domestic abuse.

Mr Cummings said he decided to drive to his parents’ farm in Durham, where his 17 and 20-year-old nieces were on-hand if they needed emergency childcare, arriving around midnight.

He said he did not ask the Prime Minister about this decision as Boris Johnson was ill himself and had “huge problems” to deal with.

The next morning, March 28, Mr Cummings said he was in pain and “clearly had COVID symptoms”, including a bad headache and a serious fever.

He said for several days he and his wife remained ill and then during the night of April 2, an ambulance was called to attend to their son, who had a fever and had vomited.

Mr Cummings’ son was taken to hospital where he spent the night along with Mrs Wakefield. He said he drove to the hospital the following day to pick them up after his son recovered.

On April 12, Mr Cummings drove his wife and child to Barnard Castle – around a 30-minute drive from Durham – where he was spotted by members of the public sitting along a riverbank.

Mr Cummings said he took the trip to test his eyesight, to see if he was able to drive back to London so he could return to work.

He drove his family back to London on April 13.

Mr Cummings’ actions during this two-week period was the focus of a joint investigation by the Guardian and the Mirror.

St Helens Star: Dominic Cummings took questions from journalists in a live press conference in Downing Street's Rose GardenDominic Cummings took questions from journalists in a live press conference in Downing Street's Rose Garden

On Saturday, cabinet members lined up to defend Mr Cummings, before a second story broke, detailing Mr Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle.

Mounting pressure prompted the Prime Minister to leap to his chief advisor’s defence, saying he had acted “responsibly, legally and with integrity”.

However, a number of Conservative MPs have publicly called for Mr Cummings to resign.

Locally, Cllr Jones believes the trip to Barnard Castle and the fact Mr Cumming’s returned to London after two weeks has made the situation untenable for the PM’s chief advisor.

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Cllr Jones said: “I think if all that had happened was that he drove up to Durham, self-isolated up there then we wouldn’t be in this position we’re in now.

“The position we’re in now has come about because of things that happened up there and the fact he came back.

“But it really is an issue for the national party.”