Cotswold MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown says Dominic Cummings did what he thought was right, and no one should blame him for that.

Over the weekend, it was revealed that Mr Cummings travelled to County Durham in March to self-isolate with his family – apparently because he feared that he and his wife would be left unable to care for their son – while official guidelines warned against long-distance journeys.

Further reports also suggested he took a second trip to the North East in April, having already returned to London following his recovery from Covid-19 – a disease which has seen more than 36,000 people in the UK die after contracting it.

Several Conservative backbenchers have joined calls from opposition parties for Mr Cummings to quit or be sacked, amid warnings that his actions have “undermined” efforts to fight coronavirus.

However, the prime minister, Boris Johnson, said he could “not mark down” Mr Cummings for the way he acted, and told the Downing Street press conference on Sunday that, following “extensive” talks with his aide, he concluded “he followed the instincts of every father and every parent”.

He said Mr Cummings had “acted responsibly, legally and with integrity".

Sir Geoffrey said: "If there is a criminal case to answer the police should investigate all the facts and act accordingly.

"As to whether Cummings broke the Government guidelines, the Prime Minister has carried out a thorough investigation and decided that he should remain in post.

"Cummings did what he thought was the right action to take to ensure the welfare of his child was paramount. No one should blame him for that.

"I am grateful to all those who have upheld the lockdown rules during this very difficult period, especially those who have lost loved ones.

"I have received a high volume of emails from constituents with differing opinions on this matter and will of course continue to monitor this situation closely.

"It is essential that we now focus on the sensible course to ease the current lockdown, get the country safely back to work, our children starting school and recover from the current Covid-19 pandemic."