Below is the response from Ms Trott. I consider it to be highly selective on the facts to which it responds, and to ignore outright the points I made in my letter. I am considering what to do next as I do not consider this sufficient. Please do post if you have any thoughts.

Dear Jon

Thank you for contacting me to express your views in relation to the recent headlines on Dominic Cummings.

I have received many emails from constituents on this same topic and I read all of them carefully. Many of you have written to me for the first time, shared personal stories, and represent all sides of the political spectrum. I take all your views very seriously and now that we have all the facts to hand, I wanted to take this opportunity to set out my reflections. While I know many will not share these, it is only right that I set out my thinking given the fact that there are such strong and heartfelt opinions at play.

The last few months have been tough for the whole country. Everyone has experienced difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and some of us have tragically lost friends and family to the virus. My team and I have assisted thousands of people in need of urgent help, be it clarification of the guidelines, or to access support for their families or businesses. You have all made sacrifices. Many have been unable to work; children have been unable to attend school and families and friends have been unable to see each other for months. I know how hard this has been. Following the stories over the past week regarding Mr Cummings’ actions, I thought very long and hard about my response and waited to hear a full explanation from him before reaching a conclusion.

Mr Cummings has rightly given a detailed explanation of his movements and I believe his answers showed him as someone trying to make decisions to safeguard his child amidst ill health and harassment. The police have been clear that his trip to and from Durham did not break the rules. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer advised that looking after children was an exceptional circumstance. The allegations of him repeatedly visiting Durham are not true and nor did he risk the health of others.

I understand people are angry, particularly those who have made huge sacrifices to protect their families from this disease. Having received an extremely high level of correspondence on this issue, I have made sure that Ministers are aware of the strength of feeling. However, I have had to base my own judgement on the facts and the exceptions allowed. I also condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the physical harassment of him and his young family outside his house.

Once again, thank you for having taken the time to contact me and if I can be of any further assistance in future, please do not hesitate to contact me again.

With best wishes,

Laura