Piers Morgan says Dominic Cummings ‘single-handedly destroyed lockdown’

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Morgan said Cummings’s actions had undermined trust in government

Dominic Cummings “single-handedly” destroyed the Covid-19 lockdown, Piers Morgan has said, in a searing attack on the prime minister’s top aide.

Speaking on the Good Morning Britain show, Morgan said Cummings’s decision to drive 260 miles to Durham at the height of the pandemic had undermined public health advice.

“He’s single-handedly destroyed the lockdown,” said the controversial broadcaster. “He’s destroyed trust in the government. He needs to go. God knows what Cummings had on Boris Johnson.

“Every part of this story stinks. There he is, the guy who made the rules as if nothing happened. Britain has basically gone ‘forget the rule’. It’s one rule for them and one rule for us.”

Morgan’s comments come after another warm weekend in which thousands of Britons across the country flocked to the nation’s beaches and beauty spots to soak up the sunshine – despite an easing of restrictions not coming into force until Monday.

On Saturday, crowds of people had to be evacuated from the beach and surrounding cliffs at Durdle Door, in Dorset, when three got injured after jumping from a 200ft sea arch.

In Lancashire, one man died and two others were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment after a boat sank about a mile off the coast at Fleetwood on Sunday morning.

Last week, the government announced that people can meet six others from separate households to exercise together from 1 June.

In the latest easing of lockdown measures, teams will be able to train together while friends and family will be able to play non-contact sports in parks or gardens.

Parents will also be able to accompany their children to coaching sessions carried out on a one to one basis or in small groups.

Outdoor gyms, playgrounds and swimming pools will remain closed under the new guidance, and the public is urged to avoid sharing equipment.

Elite sports are also set to resume behind closed doors from 1 June, with football, tennis and horse racing to return to be shown on television shortly.