Rutland MP Alica Kearns has spoken out, concerning the row over the prime minister's special advisor Dominic Cummings, which has engulfed the government.

Mrs Kearns has defended Mr Cummings, who was accused of breaching government guidelines concerning the pandemic with his travel from London to Durham.

After the advisor explained himself before the nation at a press conference yesterday, the Rutland MP gave her reaction on twitter.

Mrs Kearns said: "Many people in Rutland and Melton have sacrificed a great deal to stick to the letter of the lockdown guidelines, sometimes at great personal cost. I am enormously grateful to each and every resident.

"During the pandemic I've had to make decisions about what the guidelines did/did not permit constituents to do. At all times I acted in the best interests of my constituents and gave what I considered to be reasonable advice in each circumstance in consultation with Ministers.

"On 24th March at daily presser (press conference), in response to question about what parents should do if both sick with COVID-19, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jenny Harries OBE advised that "clearly if you have adults that are unable to look after a small child, that is an exceptional circumstance."

"This was before Cummings travelled to County Durham. I told my constituents that if the facts showed that Cummings travelled to County Durham but stayed isolated in his property for the 14-day period I would be content."

The MP continued: "Over the weekend I pressed for more information to get the facts about what happened, and I shared the concerns of my constituents and their desire for an open and frank explanation with the Party.

"This weekend has been an unhelpful distraction from the genuine needs of constituents, who write to me daily asking for assistance with difficult personal circumstances. I'd not spoken publicly, as I focused on replying to all of the constituents who wrote to me on this issue.

"Cummings has now explained himself in a frank way. He recognises he might've done better, but acted within guidelines as per the March 24 press conference. He believed he was protecting his family from virus & attacks on his home. I am confident no one else was put at risk by his actions."

Mrs Kearns added: "I will continue to focus on supporting residents of Rutland and Melton to recover from this pandemic and the rebuilding of our nation as together we defeat the virus."