UK Civil Service account stuns Twitter with ‘truth twisters’ post moments after Boris Johnson press conference
THE UK Civil Service stunned Twitter by appearing to hit out at “arrogant truth twisters” shortly after Boris Johnson defended his top aide today.
Following this afternoon’s Daily Briefing, in which the PM responded to questions regarding Dominic Cummings’ flouting of lockdown rules, the official account for Her Majesty’s Civil Service shocked social media.
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The message, which was deleted within 10 minutes, read: “Arrogant and offensive. Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?”
It is not clear how the tweet was posted or whether the account had been hacked.
A UK Government spokesman has since said officials are investigating the “unauthorised” post.
He said: “An unauthorised tweet was posted on a Government channel this evening.
“The post has been removed and we are investigating the matter.”
The tweet had been retweeted, or shared, by around 1,000 users and liked by another 30,000 before it was deleted.
‘ARROGANT AND OFFENSIVE’
Moments earlier, the Prime Minister defended Mr Cummings after it emerged that the top aide had travelled to his family home in Durham in late-March and allegedly again in mid-April.
The special government adviser, who was the architect of the Vote Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum, claims he fled to the North East of England to provide childcare for his son.
Downing Street has denied Mr Cummings travelled to Durham again in April and also took a third lockdown-flouting trip to Barnard Castle on Easter Sunday.
Mr Johnson staunchly defended his aide today saying he did “what any father would do.”
He said: “It is because I take this matter so seriously, and it is so serious, that I can tell you today that I’ve had extensive face-to-face conversations with Dominic Cummings.
“I’ve concluded that in travelling to find the right kind of childcare, at the moment when he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus and when he had no alternative, I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent.
“Though there have been many other allegations about what happened when he was in self-isolation, thereafter, some of the palpably false.
“I believe that in every respect that he has acted responsibly and legally and with integrity and with the overwhelming aim of stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives.”
However, not all Tory members are toying the party line.
Furious Conservative backbenchers are demanding the controversial aide is booted out of his role immediately.
Tory MP Steve Baker became the first to publicly call for him to resign earlier this morning.
Earlier Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted the claims Mr Cummings broke the rules twice were “not true”.
Others included Sir Roger Gale, Peter Bone, William Wragg, Craig Whittaker and Caroline Nokes.
They were joined in the brewing backlash by backbencher Damian Collins, who runs his own fact-check site.
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He tweeted: “Dominic Cummings has a track record of believing that the rules don’t apply to him and treating the scrutiny that should come to anyone in a position of authority with contempt.
“The government would be better without him.
“The latest bombshell claims call into question Downing Street’s statements backing Cummings after it emerged he travelled 260 miles to the property owned by his parents in late-March.”
