British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government was hit by its first resignation on Tuesday over the controversy surrounding top aide Dominic Cummings’ cross-country trip during the lockdown.
Douglas Ross, a Minister for Scotland, quit in protest.
“I have constituents who didn’t get to say goodbye to loved ones; families who could not mourn together; people who didn’t visit sick relatives because they followed the guidance of the government,” he said in a Twitter statement announcing his departure.
“I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the government was right.”
He added that Mr. Cummings’ interpretation of government rules was “not shared by the vast majority of people”.
The resignation will pile more pressure on Mr. Cummings, who held a press conference Monday to justify driving his wife and young son on a 425-km trip from London to Durham during the height of crisis.