Civil service Twitter account slams Boris Johnson’s defence of Dominic Cummings

In a now-deleted tweet, the account wrote after Sunday’s daily Downing Street press conference: ‘Arrogant and offensive. Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?’

The tweet was up for approximately 12 minutes before it was removed, and was retweeted more than 32,000 times.

It tweeted the message about 20 minutes after the conclusion of Johnson’s appearance in front of cameras.

It was also read out as part of reaction on BBC News.

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Asked about the tweet, the government said it was launching an investigation.

A UK government spokesman said: ‘An unauthorised tweet was posted on a government channel this evening.

‘The post has been removed and we are investigating the matter.’

Author JK Rowling responded: ‘When you find out who it was, let us know. I want to give them a year’s salary.’

Although the message does not name any individuals, it appears to reference Johnson’s defence of top aide, Dominic Cummings, at the conference.

Johnson used the event to repeat that it was ‘absolutely responsible’ of his chief aide Cummings to travel to Durham to self-isolate.

He said: ‘The advice makes it absolutely clear that if you have particular childcare issues then that is a factor that has to be taken into account and when I look at what actually happened, Dominic Cummings and his family self-isolated for 14 days and that is what you’ve got to do.

‘And there was a risk that if they both went under, in such a way to be unable to care for their child, then they might have needed the help of relatives living nearby who could come in a socially distanced way.

‘As it happened that was not necessary for medical reasons I don’t want to go into.

‘But that was the risk, and I think it was a real risk and I think it was absolutely responsible of Dominic Cummings to see the risk to his family and to see the risk to his child and to take steps to avert it, and that’s what he did.

‘That in no way changes the guidance or the advice.’