Politics

MP ‘cross referencing’ vigil complaints with those who objected to Dominic Cummings’ drive

An MP is reportedly cross referencing constituents’ complaints about the Clapham Common vigil with those who objected to Dominic Cummings driving to Durham during the height of the first lockdown.

According to Guido’s Tom Harwood the MP is filtering out emails from people who kicked up a fuss about both in a bid to ‘point out the hypocrisy of their positions’, even though the two instances are poles apart.

The Prime Minister’s former strategist made a cross-country trip after he developed Covid symptoms in late March, despite the government instructing people to remain at home unless absolutely necessary.

Analysis conducted by University College London (UCL) found that his actions reduced public trust in the government as well as people’s willingness to follow social distancing rules.

This weekend a vigil was attended by hundreds of people in memory of Sarah Everard, who is alleged to have been brutally murdered as she walked home by a former police officer.

The event in Clapham, south London, was largely peaceful, but scuffles broke out at the front of a crowd as police surrounded a bandstand covered in floral tributes to the 33-year-old marketing executive.

According to a snap YouGov poll 47 per cent of male respondents said the Met Police got it right in banning the gathering, compared to just 39 per cent of women who said the same.

Those over 65 also supported the belief that the vigil should not have been allowed to happen, with 55 per cent of people in that age group opposing it compared to just 24 per cent of those aged 18-24.

Related: Protesters chant ‘shame on you’ as they descend on New Scotland Yard

Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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