Coronavirus: PM hit by resignation as battle over fate of adviser Dominic Cummings grows
Durham Constabulary say they are examining "further information and complaints from members of the public".
Tuesday 26 May 2020 19:59, UK
Police have begun investigating Dominic Cummings's alleged breach of coronavirus lockdown rules as anger continues to grow among Conservative MPs about the actions of the prime minister's chief adviser.
More than 30 Tory MPs are now publicly calling for Mr Cummings, who is Boris Johnson's most senior aide, to resign or be sacked.
The burgeoning revolt within the Conservative Party has also seen one government minister quit.
Retired chemistry teacher Robert Lees, who made a complaint to police after claiming he saw Mr Cummings and his family on 12 April at Barnard Castle in County Durham, confirmed to Sky News that he was interviewed by two police officers on Monday night.
A Durham Constabulary spokesperson said: "We can confirm that, over the last few days, Durham Constabulary has received further information and complaints from members of the public and we are reviewing and examining that information."
Mr Cummings is accused of breaching lockdown rules by travelling with his wife and child from London to Durham, where they isolated with suspected coronavirus at a property on his parents' farm.
In an unprecedented news conference on Monday, held in the Downing Street rose garden, Mr Cummings said he would not apologise, had no regrets and had not considered resigning.
The former Vote Leave boss said he had "exceptional circumstances" to decamp 260 miles north, after his wife came down with COVID-19 symptoms and he sought childcare help from his family in case the couple were incapacitated.
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
As well as the public calls from Tory backbenchers for Mr Cummings to resign over the row, Moray MP Douglas Ross quit as a government minister on Tuesday.
He said Mr Cummings's claim he had a valid excuse to travel during the coronavirus outbreak was "not shared by the vast majority of people who have done as the government asked".
A senior Conservative figure predicted more resignations will follow.
And an MP yet to go public with their concerns told Sky News: "This is our Black Wednesday" - in reference to the 1992 financial crisis suffered by former prime minister John Major's Tory government.
Mr Ross stepped down as a junior Scotland Office minister in a letter to Mr Johnson published on Tuesday morning.
He wrote: "I have never met Dominic Cummings so my judgement on this matter has always been open and I accept his statement on Monday afternoon clarified the actions he took in what he felt were the best interests of his family.
"However, these were decisions many others felt were not available to them.
"As a father myself, my instinct is to always do what is best for my son and wife. We have been fortunate not to have caught this awful virus but if we did, we are prepared to follow the government advice and stay at home to contain this virus.
"While the intentions may have been well-meaning, the reaction to this news shows that Mr Cummings' interpretation of the government advice was not shared by the vast majority of people who have done as the government asked.
"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.
"I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the government was right."
His letter was followed minutes later by praise by the former Scottish Tories leader Ruth Davidson, who said she was "sorry" to see a "talented" minister go.
Adam Tomkins, a Tory MSP, called the resignation a "disaster" and warned: "It shows exactly why Cummings should be sacked. I suspect others will follow where Douglas has led."
Conservative backbencher William Wragg added his voice to the calls, tweeting: "We cannot throw away valuable public and political good will any longer.
"It's humiliating and degrading to their office to see ministers put out agreed lines in defence of an adviser."
A Number 10 spokesman said Mr Johnson had thanked Mr Ross for his service and "regrets" his decision to quit.
Labour said Mr Ross had "done the decent thing" and understood "it's not acceptable to have one rule for Boris Johnson's closest adviser, another for everybody else".
Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party said it shows "this issue transcends politics - it is about protecting trust and confidence in the public health advice".
A YouGov poll carried out after Mr Cummings's lengthy statement on Monday found 71% of Britons thought he did break lockdown rules - up 3% from Sunday.
That includes a majority of Labour (88%), Liberal Democrat (86%) and Conservative (56%) supporters, and Remain (81%) and Leave (63%) backers.
In total 59% of those surveyed said Mr Cummings should resign, including a majority of Labour (76%) and Lib Dems (71%) as well as Remain (71%) and Leave (52%) voters - but falling to 46% among Conservatives.
Mr Johnson has stood by Mr Cummings for moving to his parents' farm in Durham from London at the start of March while Britons were told to "stay at home" at the start of lockdown.
Mr Cummings also admitted for the first time on Monday he made a trip to a beauty spot in the town of Barnard Castle, a 30-minute drive away, saying he wanted to check he could see well enough to drive back to London because his eyesight had been affected by the virus.
He has been defended for the journey, where he was spotted by a witness walking by a river, by senior colleagues.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said the decision to have a "test drive" was "wise".
He told Sky News' Kay Burley@Breakfast on Tuesday: "He was wise to make sure he was comfortable before driving back down to London on the A1 - an inevitably busy road...
"I can understand why he just wanted to make sure he was comfortable behind the wheel."
Analysis: 'As an ex-referee, he believes in rules'
By Joe Pike, political correspondent
You've probably never heard of Douglas Ross. But that's partly why his resignation is significant. Unlike some in parliament, he is not a trouble-maker.
Widely regarded as loyal, thoughtful and a talented communicator, Mr Ross backed Boris Johnson to be Conservative leader last Summer.
In contrast to many of the older Tory MPs speaking out against Mr Cummings, Douglas Ross is young in political terms and had a bright future ahead of him. He is 37-years-old and recently became a father. As a former professional football referee, he believes in rules.
And with a small majority of just 513, he knows he needs to be in step with the views of his constituents, some of whom he said in his resignation statement "didn't get to say goodbye to loved ones" and "could not mourn together".