Tory MP apologises after mistakenly leaving ‘bereavement’ template in email to constituent about Dominic Cummings

'This has caused a great deal of offence and I am incredibly sorry,' says Anthony Mangnall

Conservative MP Anthony Mangnal apologised for leaving the instruction "insert if there has been a bereavement" in an email to one of his constituents (PA)

A Tory MP has apologised for leaving a template bereavement instruction in an email to one of his constituents who had contacted him about the prime minister’s top aide.

Anthony Mangnall said he made a “stupid mistake” by leaving “insert if there has been a bereavement” in a message he sent in response to emails he received about Dominic Cummings' controversial trip to Durham during lockdown.

An extract of the email was shared on social media, showing the third paragraph of his response which read: “[Insert if there has been a bereavement: May I add my condolences to the recent loss of your family member.

“The current situation has made the ability to mourn the passing of loved ones all the more difficult. I send my best wishes to you and your family.]”

Mr Mangnall said the instruction was left in one response to hundreds of emails he had received about Mr Cummings in recent days.

“In an effort to respond to those emails, I wrote in my own words my thoughts on the situation,” he tweeted.

“That response contained some ‘insert lines’ that allowed me to respond to specific issues and concerns raised. I stupidly sent out one of those emails without having removed the additional lines.

“This has caused a great deal of offence and I am incredibly sorry.”

The recipient of the email, who requested anonymity, told The Independent Mr Mangnall's "insert lines" response was not at all relevant to the email they originally sent to the MP.

The template response drew criticism about Mr Mangnall from many on social media, with some calling it “cut and paste compassion”.

One person said: “Just a sign that many Tory MPs are too lacking emotionally and intellectually to be able to craft a letter for themselves. Scraping the very bottom of the barrel.”

Another said: “Anthony, dude, this is a mistake professionals stop making 6 months into their first job. Don’t even know where to start by how shoddy this effort is.”

The MP for Totnes said he “shares many of the concerns” his constituents had about Mr Cummings’ trip to Durham and would not have taken the same “course of action” himself.

However, he stopped short of calling for the resignation of Boris Johnson’s aide.

Mr Mangnall wrote in a statement on Facebook: “The anger and dissatisfaction at Mr Cummings’ behaviour is no surprise at all.

“Spending time defending an adviser is not a good use of time, especially given the many fears and concerns about people’s future and their livelihoods.”