ARGUS readers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of Dominic Cummings stepping down.

Boris Johnson’s right-hand man has faced furious backlash from MPs, healthcare workers and even Conservative party colleagues after driving hundreds of miles to his parents’ home in Durham in the midst of the UK lockdown.

But the aide said he would not resign and did not apologise for his actions, despite plenty of prompts from journalists to do so during unusual press conference held in Number 10’s rose garden on Monday.

In a poll created by The Argus, almost 700 people said Mr Cummings should have been sacked, with just 87 saying he should be allowed to keep his job. A further seven said they were unsure.

During the press conference, Mr Cummings gave his detailed version of events and admitted driving more than 260 miles from his home in London to a family-owned cottage in Durham with his wife and child, as well as taking walks with them while he was there.

But Mr Cummings denied further reports which suggested he took a second trip to the North East on April 14.

He said he acted as he did because he was concerned about child care for his young son.

But his statement sparked outrage from viewers, furious that he acted as he did when the Government was pleading with people to stay at home wherever possible in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Brighton and Hove MPs were among those to share their anger over the situation.

Brighton Kemptown Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said: “Is it one rule for Boris Johnson’s closest adviser, another for everybody else?

“My inbox has been filled with people who are disgusted with the current antics.”

Hove and Portslade Labour MP Peter Kyle also slammed Mr Cummings’ behaviour.

He referenced comments in which the aide said he went for a “short drive” to a beauty spot to test his eyesight, which he said had “seemed to have been affected by the disease”.

Mr Cummings said he had driven to Barnard Castle, 30 miles from his parents’ home, before sitting beside the river for 15 minutes because he felt unwell.

Mr Kyle said: “If you have symptoms you stay home... you don’t go for a drive to see if your eyes work.

“This is much, much worse than I had expected. Much worse. Dominic Cummings is bringing down the Government right in front of our eyes.”

Mr Cummings conceded that “reasonable people may well disagree about how I thought about what to do in the circumstances”, but said: “I don’t regret what I did”.

He added: “I think what I did was actually reasonable in these circumstances.

“The rules made clear that if you are dealing with small children that can be exceptional circumstances.”

Meanwhile, Brighton Pavilion Green MP Caroline Lucas claimed that "by saving Dominic Cummings, the Government is putting us all at risk".

She said: "Public co-operation with coronavirus response measures depends on trust.

"That has been shattered because of the actions of one man and the failure of his boss to reprimand him, let alone sack him."