Dr. Ranj Singh shares viral tweet criticising the Tory response to the Dominic Cummings row

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LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24:  Dr Ranj Singh attends the St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes Awards, supported by Laerdal Medical, which celebrate those that save lives and champion first aid in communities, at Hilton Bankside on September 24, 2018 in London, England.  (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Tim P. Whitby / Getty Images for St John Ambulance)
Dr Ranj Singh attends the St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes Awards, 2018. (Tim P. Whitby / Getty Images for St John Ambulance)

Television’s Dr. Ranj Singh has shared a viral tweet that compares Dominic Cummings’ actions to those of a refugee parent, with a slogan next to the Conservative party logo that says “do as we say not as we do”.

It shows the Prime Minister’s advisor, who is embroiled in a row over his apparent breach of lockdown rules in April, driving a car with a caption above that says “just doing what’s best for his child. Anyone would do the same, It’s OK.”

This echoes the response of many senior Tory MPs who shared their support for Cummings after it was revealed he had driven to Durham from London to isolate his family at his parents’ farm.

The image of Cummings is juxtaposed with a 2015 photo from the New York Times of Syrian refugee Laith Majid, holding his son and daughter after a journey from Turkey to the Greek island of Kos in an inflatable boat. This image is captioned “no, not like that”, highlighting the apparent hypocrisy at the heart of the matter.

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The original image was posted by actor Con O’Neill who recently appeared in the hit drama Chernobyl and cop drama Happy Valley, with the caption “I think this deserves a massive retweet”. It has since earned over 700 retweets, including Singh’s.

Boris Johnson is set to be questioned by senior MPs as he faces a growing Tory revolt and plummeting poll ratings over the Dominic Cummings row.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his advisor Dominic Cummings, left, leave 10 Downing Street in London, and get in a car together to go to the Houses of Parliament, Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says it's Parliament's fault, not his, that Britain will not be leaving the European Union as scheduled on Oct. 31. The EU has agreed to postpone Brexit until Jan. 31, 2020, after Johnson failed to get British lawmakers to ratify his divorce deal with the bloc in time to leave this week. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his advisor Dominic Cummings, left, leave 10 Downing Street, Oct. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

The Prime Minister’s senior adviser drove from London to Durham to isolate with his family during the lockdown and says he subsequently took a trip to Barnard Castle to see if he was fit enough to drive before returning to the capital.

Mr Johnson, who will be questioned by the Liaison Committee on Wednesday, has stood by his embattled aide.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17:  Dr Ranj Singh and Janette Manrara attend the photocall for the 'Strictly Come Dancing' live tour at Arena Birmingham on January 17, 2019 in Birmingham, England.  (Photo by Katja Ogrin/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: Dr Ranj Singh and Janette Manrara attend the photocall for the 'Strictly Come Dancing' live tour at Arena Birmingham on January 17, 2019 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Katja Ogrin/Getty Images)

After qualifying as a paediatric doctor, Dr Ranj became a television presenter in 2012 hosting the educational show Get Well Soon on CBeebies until 2015. He became the resident medical professional on ITV’s This Morning in 2018, and competed in the sixteenth series of BBC One’s reality show Strictly Come Dancing.

He now hosts his own medical advice show called Dr Ranj:ON CALL for ITV.

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