Dominic Cummings has trashed the public’s trust in government advice as we start to ease lockdown

Editorial: If a second wave of infections does overwhelm the NHS in the coming weeks then the government will not be able to offload the blame

It must have been a tough call for Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson: should the prime minister’s most senior aide issue an apology, or something resembling one, for his breaking the rules on lockdown?

To his credit, in a way, Mr Cummings, deploying the cool logic for which he is renowned, saw no reason to express regret, contrition or make any apology because, in his view, he didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t even try to appease an angry public with what might be called a “Tony Blair” or “Priti Patel” version – “I’m sorry if people feel that way”.

Hence the harsh headlines and growing mood of resentment. One opinion poll that registered a vote of 52 per cent for Mr Cummings to leave his job now shows that 59 per cent want him gone. Some are asking questions about whether he was as prescient about the coronavirus pandemic as he claims to be.