GMB's Charlotte Hawkins and Ben Shephard slam Dominic Cummings over breaking lockdown rules

Good Morning Britain hosts Charlotte Hawkins and Ben Shephard hit out at Dominic Cummings over breaking lockdown rules today.

The presenters also warned that they had received many emails from viewers insisting that lockdown was "over" after the lack of repercussion from Cummings' actions.

Cummings has been widely criticised for driving over 250 miles from London to his parents' house in Durham when his wife had coronavirus symptoms, despite the government's own rules telling Brits to stay at home during the pandemic.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to sack his senior aide, saying that he had "followed the instincts of every father".

Addressing the scandal today, Ben said that he had received an email from viewer Melissa.

"I think this sums it up brilliantly, Charlotte," he remarked, before reading out the comment. "Dominic Cummings' actions and Boris Johnson's absolute backing of them have really upset me.

"His excuse that he was just being a good, noble, understanding father is a slap in the face to all those that missed their parents' funerals, to those who couldn't see their child in hospital, to anyone frightened and alone that did obey the law.

"It implies that you could have done all these things, but that you just didn't care as much as Dominic Cummings did, and this has made me really angry."

Charlotte remarked that she had many people getting in touch with her yesterday with similar feelings.

She explained: "Because everybody had been sticking to the rules and then the prime minister seems to suggest there that he followed the instincts of every parent and every father there and I don't mark him down there.

"But so many people got in touch with me to say, 'Well, you know, they were in difficult situation and they wanted to follow their instincts but they followed the rules.

"So many parents, so many families up and down the country have been torn apart by what is happening in the last few minutes. They've had to make really difficult decisions to try to do the best for their families.

"But to do something like this when you are in charge of making the lockdown rules, when you've put together the whole strategy - I think that's the bit that people are finding really difficult."

*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV