SOUTH LAKES MP Tim Farron has called for Dominic Cummings, the Government's chief political advisor, to quit his job voluntarily or be sacked.

It emerged earlier this week that Mr Cummings, having contracted Coronavirus, had allegedly travelled from London to his parents' house in Durham several times in April.

It is claimed that Mr Cummings did so for childcare reasons.

Many Britons were outraged that the aide - who has also come under fire in recent weeks for his presence at the meetings of the SAGE scientific advisory group - openly flouted the lockdown rules imposed by his own government.

Pressure has settled on Number 10 this bank holiday weekend and calls for Cummings' dismissal have only grown as it has progressed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson mounted a defence of his top aide today, a Brexit hate figure for many Remain supporters given his role in the 2016 EU referendum.

Mr Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, blasted Johnson's decision to stick by his man.

Earlier this weekend, he expressed his stance in softer terms, saying: "I have compassion for him. This is a stressful and painful time for him and his family. But he has flouted the rules that he helped write while expecting others to follow them and has undermined the collective effort to save lives. He must do the decent thing". 

But this evening, following a press conference in which Mr Johnson stood by the controversial aide, Mr Farron tweeted: "DC’s [Dominic Cummings'] resignation/sacking followed by sincere contrition would have enabled the PM [Prime Minister] to regain enough authority to steer us through the deadly Covid crisis. But now I seriously think the PM has to go. At this critical time he’s chosen loyalty to the elite over service to Britain."

He also said of the Prime Minister: "Politically, BJ [Boris Johnson] has just caused colossal, possibly fatal, damage to his Conservative administration.... but he has also undone any attempt to save lives by effective public health messaging".