Man called Bernard Castle has been having fun on Twitter

A man seemingly named ‘Bernard Castle’ has expressed sympathy with ‘that John Lewis guy’ amid the Dominic Cummings lockdown saga. 

Mr Castle, who joined Twitter in September 2019, posted his first tweet this morning following the controversy which has dragged the Northern town of Barnard Castle into the national spotlight.  

The Prime Minister’s top adviser Mr Cummings is facing continuing calls to resign over alleged lockdown breaches, which include visiting Barnard Castle to ‘test his eyesight’ on a 60-mile round trip with his wife and child.

Now, the aptly named Bernard Castle has made light of the situation, telling followers that he is ‘thinking about retraining as an optician’, in reference to Mr Cummings’ suggestion that the trip on Saturday, April 12 – his wife’s birthday – only came about because of concerns that he could not see properly. People have since been warned not to test their eyesight by driving.

Mr Castle, whose picture shows a gentleman wearing glasses, had earlier delighted social media users by expressing solidarity with a man named John Lewis. 

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He tweeted: ‘Now I know how that John Lewis guy feels #dominiccummings’. One user replied: ‘You win today’s internet.’

A man named John Lewis is often tweeted by people trying to contact the department chain, since he has the Twitter handle ‘@johnlewis’. His profile makes clear that he is in fact ‘not a retail store’ – and often jokes about the confusion. 

Until details of Mr Cummings’ behaviour emerged, the pair seem to make an unlikely duo – but that has changed after Barnard Castle shot to prominence. 

The County Durham market town has been part of intense scrutiny over the affair, which has seen days of pressure on the Prime Minister to sack his chief aide, with the public, religious leaders, politicians of all stripes, scientists and others calling for Mr Cummings to go.

Critics say the journey appears to have breached the coronavirus restrictions and contradict the government’s ‘Stay at home’ message, but Mr Cummings insists he acted ‘reasonably’. 

Trip Advisor’s page for the popular tourist town was inundated with mock reviews earlier this week and has since been suspended after a number of people posed as Mr Cummings and posted jokes.

The Government has repeatedly defended Mr Cummings, who insisted in a highly unusual press conference in the Downing Street Rose Garden that he would not resign. 

Metro.co.uk has attempted to contact Mr Castle, but he appears not to have seen our request for comment. 

It emerged this week that Barnard Castle means ‘pathetic excuse’ in a Durham dialect.

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