"Questions to answer" and "making sure his young child was cared for" are among two of the responses by Coventry and Warwickshire MPs to the continuing row regarding the Prime Minister’s top aide Dominic Cummings.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his adviser had acted "legally and with integrity" at the daily briefing last night. On Saturday, he had pledged his "full support" to his under-fire chief adviser, who it emerged had travelled 260 miles to the North East in March to self-isolate with his family while official guidelines warned against long-distance journeys.

Reports surfaced yesterday, Sunday, May 24, alleging the 48-year-old made a second trip to County Durham, where his family lives, despite stringent social restrictions being in place.

The senior government adviser has denied the fresh allegations that he returned to Durham in April, weeks after his initial time spent self-isolating in the region.

Strong support

The strongest support for Mr Cummings locally came from Nuneaton Conservative MP Marcus Jones.

In a tweet on Saturday he said: “Cummings was not going to meet a woman he was having an affair with or going off to his holiday home for the weekend.

“He was making sure his young child was cared for as him and his wife had suspected Coronavirus. Would any parent not want to see a child properly cared for?”

Mr Cummings also received the backing of Stratford Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi.

MP for Stratford on Avon Nadhim Zahawi. Photo: David Jones/PA Wire

Although he admitted he was “not a friend” of the government adviser, Mr Zahawi said in a tweet on Saturday: “I am not a friend of DC. Big difference in the story today about Dominic Cummings.

“The man got infected with Covid19, he was isolating. Attacks are coming from those who want to derail @BorisJohnson important manifesto or those who are not in the centre of the action & blame DC.”

Issue used to "attack the government"

Saqib Bhatti, MP for Meriden tweeted that the issue is being used to "attack" the government.

Saqib Bhatti, elected MP for Meriden in December 2019, previously president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

He wrote: "Dom clearly made an essential journey to ensure the care of his child. Using one person and his family to attack the government is appalling. We are in the middle of an international crisis and it would be helpful if the opposition remembered that."

But opposition MPs felt differently.

Questions to answer

Coventry North West Labour MP Taiwo Owatemi said both the Prime Minister and Mr Cummings had “questions to answer”.

In a tweet on Saturday she said: “It’s fair to say the PM and Mr Cummings still have questions to answer.

“When we’ve all had to make sacrifices, why is it one rule for them and another for everyone else.”

Taiwo Owatemi MP

Yesterday Ms Owatemi also retweeted shadow policing minister Sarah Jones, who called for Boris Johnston to attend the daily coronavirus press briefing to answer questions on the matter.

In a tweet Ms Jones said: “The British people made huge sacrifices during lockdown to protect each other from the virus.

“We deserve answers. The Prime Minister needs to come to the press conference this afternoon and explain.”

In a statement Ms Owatemi called for an investigation into Mr Cummings' conduct.

She said: “We all have sympathy with Mr Cummings’ childcare needs and yes common sense should apply. But the advice at the time was clear: to stay at home.

"At a time when Coventry residents and the wider the British public have had to make sacrifices Boris Johnson has basically said it’s one rule for his friends and another for the rest of us. As the architect of the lockdown rules Mr Cummings should be far more responsible. I’m therefore calling investigation into his conduct, alongside colleagues, so that we can get to the bottom of this.”

Zarah Sultana, Labour MP for Coventry South, has not tweeted about the issue. However she retweeted a tweet by Labour leader Keir Starmer saying: "This was a test of the Prime Minister and he has failed it. It is an insult to the sacrifices made by the British people that Boris Johnson has chosen to take no action against Dominic Cummings."

Coventry South winning candidate for the Labour party, Zarah Sultana

She also replied to a number of people who described their anger and hurt that senior ministers defended Mr Cummings when they had not been able to say goodbye in person to loved ones who had died from coronavirus.

"Sending love and solidarity to you and the family," she wrote.

Government acting in "self interest"

Matt Western, Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington commented on a tweet by health secretary Matt Hancock - which described Mr Cummings' actions as "entirely right" - asking why he hadn't defended Neil Ferguson, the government scientist who resigned after breaking lockdown rules to meet his girlfriend.

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Mr Western tweeted: "Surely Ferguson more important to (your) UK strategy, Cummings only impt to PM and Con Govt. We have a Government acting in self-interest and not a Government acting in the national interest."

Mr Western also retweeted a number of messages from Mr Starmer criticising Prime Minister Boris Johnson's actions and calling for an "urgent inquiry".

According to reports in the Observer and Sunday Mirror yesterday, the former Vote Leave campaign co-ordinator made a second trip to Durham and was seen there on April 19 - five days after being photographed on his return to Westminster.

A second witness told the papers they saw him a week earlier in Barnard Castle on Easter Sunday, a popular tourist location 30 miles from Durham.

Downing Street has said it would “not waste time” replying to the fresh allegations from “campaigning newspapers”.