Piers Morgan has slammed the “accountability-avoiding cowardice” of government ministers who have defended Dominic Cummings’ coronavirus lockdown trip to see his parents 260 miles away in Durham.

Boris Johnson’s senior aide is under increasing pressure to resign after reports emerged claiming he broken the government’s lockdown rules.

Cummings is said to have fled his London home to seek help from his family looking after his four-year-old child, after his wife became ill with Covid-19 symptoms.

After the prime minister and other cabinet ministers – including health secretary Matt Hancock, foreign secretary Dominic Raab and chancellor Rishi Sunak – publicly defended Cummings by claiming his journey was essential, Piers claimed it “summed up” the government’s “collective moral bankruptcy”. 

He tweeted: “Cabinet ministers rushing to publicly support Cummings breaking the Govt’s own lockdown rules just about sums up their collective moral bankruptcy & fridge-hiding, accountability-avoiding cowardice.

“The public won’t stand for this shameful hypocrisy, whoever they vote for.”

The Good Morning Britain presenter noted how the chancellor’s defence of Cummings was particularly disappointing, saying he had “blown his growing reputation”. 

During No. 10′s coronavirus briefing on Saturday, Piers claimed ministers and experts were “rewriting the lockdown rules before our eyes” after transport secretary Grant Shapps reiterated a statement from Downing Street, which said the actions of the PM’s chief adviser were in line with guidelines. 

Shapps also said restrictions put in place by the government on 23 March should only be followed “to the best of your ability” and that it was “up to the individual” to make decisions on how best to follow them.

Piers tweeted: “They’re lying to us. Again. Ministers & experts. Literally rewriting the lockdown rules before our eyes just to save the Prime Minister’s chief adviser. How can anyone defend this Govt any more?”

He also called for the government to “apologise to the British for backing a lying hypocrite”, telling the foreign secretary: “Once you’ve looked in the mirror & seen a gullible fool looking back.”

Following reports on Saturday night that Cummings made a second trip to Durham, days after he was spotted back in Downing Street, Piers vowed not to allow any ministers who have publicly defended him to appear on Good Morning Britain. 

This was jokingly in reference to an alleged ban the government has placed on cabinet ministers appearing on the ITV breakfast shows in recent weeks, after Piers had tense interviews with health secretary Matt Hancock and care minister Helen Whately.

“In light of today’s developments, I am regretfully forced to ban all cabinet ministers from appearing on @GMB until further notice,” he tweeted. “Only exceptions will be those who didn’t publicly support Cummings breaching a lockdown that the Govt forced on the rest of us ‘to save lives’.”

In response to the latest claims, a No. 10 spokesperson said: “Yesterday the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings.

“Today they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April.

“We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers.”