‘Couldn’t you have just driven to Barnard Castle?’ Twitter users have little sympathy for Dominic Cummings as the ex-No 10 adviser reveals he had to have an emergency eye operation

Dominic Cummings received little sympathy from social media users after revealing he was forced to have an emergency eye operation.

The former No 10 adviser, whose infamous drive to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight while the UK was still under restrictions sparked outrage, posted a selfie of him wearing an eye patch tonight.

It didn’t take long for Brits to point out the irony, with one user tweeting: ‘Dodgy eye you say? Only one thing for it. Drive to Barnard Castle!’

Another quipped: ‘Finally got an eye test!’ 

Mr Cummings – who gave evidence to the Covid inquiry last week – said he was planning to blog former civil service chief Sir Mark Sedwill’s hearing today until he was rushed to an emergency eye operation following a routine appointment.

Dominic Cummings posted a selfie of him wearing an eye patch after having an emergency operation

Mr Cummings received little sympathy from social media users who pointed out the irony

Mr Cummings’ infamous drive to Barnard Castle (pictured) to test his eyesight while the UK was still under restrictions sparked outrage

In a blog post afterwards, Mr Cummings wrote: ‘I was going to watch this [Covid inquiry] today and comment but, somewhat ironically, given the media over the past week with much comment on my eyesight… I went to the optician first thing for a routine checkup and was told to go immediately to the Moorfields Eye Hospital for an emergency operation. 

‘Which I did and just came out of… I must say the entire staff there were extremely kind and professional.’

Minutes after posting a photo of himself wearing an eye patch, Mr Cummings was slated by social media users.

One user said: ‘This excuse is three years too late!’

A second posted: ‘Time to drive to Barnard castle.’ 

A third wrote: ‘Get your self to Barney and get that eye tested!’

And a fourth tweeted: ‘You didn’t think to drive yourself?’

Last week, Mr Johnson labelled Mr Cummings a ‘total and utter liar’ over his infamous Barnard Castle trip. 

Several other social media users joked about Mr Cummings going to Barnard Castle below his tweet

The ex-Prime Minister said he had no idea his then-chief of staff had driven to County Durham during the early days of the first Covid lockdown, with his wife and child in tow, in an apparent breach of regulations.

Mr Cummings said the drive to picturesque Barnard Castle on April 12, 2020 – wife Mary Wakefield’s 45th birthday – was to test his eyesight before driving home, having spent the previous fortnight at a house on his parents’ farm.

The family had initially left home in London on the day Mr Johnson was diagnosed with Covid over fears both Mr Cummings and his wife could fall sick and struggle to look after their young son, it was said. A year later, Mr Cummings told MPs they fled the capital due to security threats.

The revelation of the lockdown-busting trip caused a huge scandal, but Mr Cummings was able to cling to his job after he held an extraordinary press conference in the Downing Street garden and was publicly backed by the PM.

Mr Cummings gave evidence to the Covid inquiry last week. Here, he is pictured leaving the hearing in London on October 31

In the latest stage of the Covid inquiry today, former Cabinet secretary Lord Sedwill apologised for his ‘heartless’ suggestion that chickenpox-style parties could have been held for coronavirus early in the pandemic.

The ex-national security adviser admitted making the remark, but insisted he was only giving an analogy to shielding the most vulnerable as others developed immunity.

He said sorry to bereaved families at the Covid inquiry for the ‘distress’ but said he never intended for the exchanges to be made public, after they were revealed by Mr Cummings.

Mr Cummings last week told the inquiry Lord Sedwill told Mr Johnson on March 12 2020 that he should go on television and ‘explain that this is like the old days with chickenpox and people are going to have chickenpox parties’. 

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