Taunton Deane’s MP Rebecca Pow has called for a line to be drawn under the row over Boris Johnson’s top adviser.

Ms Pow said she had received many emails from constituents over Dominic Cummings’ visit to Durham from London during the coronavirus lockdown.

In a statement she acknowledged ‘a mix of views, from support to anger and condemnation’, and the questions raised about his actions when many had made big sacrifices.

She added: “On Monday, Dominic Cummings made a detailed statement which addressed some inaccurate allegations and made clear that his driving motivation was to protect his son and he explained step-by-step the actions he took in the light of his own particular circumstances which he considered exceptional in this respect. Notwithstanding, this detailed explanation, ideally it could have come much sooner.

“I hope we can now put this behind us and focus on tackling the huge challenges we are currently faced with. We must continue to fight this virus, prepare for measures to be eased when it is safe to do so and start to get the economy going again – and this is what I shall be working on with Government.”