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Dominic Cummings leaves role with immediate effect at PM’s request [Update #83]

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The prime minister's chief aide Dominic Cummings is facing fresh allegations that he breached lockdown rules.

He and the government had said he acted "reasonably and legally" by driving from London to County Durham while his wife had coronavirus symptoms.

The Observer and Sunday Mirror are now reporting he was seen in the North East on two more occasions, after recovering from his own Covid-19 symptoms and returning to work in London.

No 10 said the story is "inaccurate".

Ministers have said Mr Cummings and his wife had chosen to self-isolate at a property adjacent to other family members in case they needed help with childcare.

Speaking to reporters outside his home in London on Saturday, he said he would not be resigning and had done the "right thing" by travelling 260 miles with his wife and young son to be near relatives when she developed Covid-19 symptoms at the end of March.

However, the two newspapers said witnesses have reported seeing Mr Cummings in Barnard Castle, more than 25 miles from Durham, on 12 April.

On 14 April, he was seen in London. According to the reports, he was spotted again in Houghall Woods near Durham on 19 April.

Mr Cummings is yet to publicly respond to the new claims, but the Sunday Telegraph reports he told Downing Street he left Durham on 13 April that the claim he made a second trip from London was "totally false".

But the BBC's political correspondent Iain Watson says ministers will be hoping that questions about Mr Cummings' movements will not have dented public trust in the government's lockdown guidance.

Read more on

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-52786206
 
Boris Johnson is facing mounting pressure to sack his chief adviser following further claims that Dominic Cummings broke lockdown rules.

The prime minister's top adviser had already admitted that he drove 260 miles from London to Durham with his wife and young son in March to self-isolate at a family property despite strict restrictions against long-distance journeys.

Now, the Sunday Mirror and the Observer claim he made a second trip to Durham and was seen there on 19 April - five days after being photographed in Downing Street on his return to Westminster.

In the latest allegations, he was reportedly spotted in Houghall Woods near his parents' Durham home on 19 April.

And a week earlier, the papers said he was seen in Barnard Castle, 30 miles away from the city, during the period he was believed to be self-isolating.

No photographic evidence has been published, and the reports are based on the testimonies of two eyewitnesses.

According to the papers, 70-year-old retired teacher Robin Lees said he saw Mr Cummings and his family walking by the River Tees near Barnard Castle.

He told the Observer and Sunday Mirror: "I was a bit gobsmacked to see him, because I know what he looks like.

"It just beggars belief to think you could actually drive when the advice was stay home, save lives. It couldn't have been clearer."

The papers also reported that a second source - who did not want to be named - recalled seeing Mr Cummings in woodland near his family's Durham property on 19 April, recognising his trademark beanie hat.

Mr Cummings was reportedly heard commenting on how "lovely" the bluebells were during an early-morning Sunday walk with his wife.

Dominic Cummings leaving his house.

Downing Street has branded the latest claims "false".

A Number 10 statement issued on Saturday evening 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."

Sometime in late March, Mr Cummings allegedly broke lockdown rules when he travelled from London to Durham with his wife and son to stay near his elderly parents - after his spouse had coronavirus symptoms.

Mr Cummings said he went to the North East so he would have help from relatives to care for his four-year-old son if he also became unwell. On 30 March, Number 10 said Mr Cummings showed COVID-19 signs.

A Downing Street spokesman said on Saturday: "His sister and nieces had volunteered to help so he went to a house near to but separate from his extended family in case their help was needed. His sister shopped for the family and left everything outside."

Mr Cummings has insisted he "behaved reasonably and legally" when asked by reporters this weekend why he thought it was reasonable to make the trip.

Durham police confirmed on Friday they spoke to the owners of a property on 31 March, a week after the prime minister imposed the lockdown.

But Downing Street said nobody related to Mr Cummings was spoken to by police, and it was entirely right for him to seek childcare for his four-year-old son.

On Saturday evening, Durham police confirmed officers had spoken to Mr Cummings's father during the lockdown period.

In a statement, the force said: "On Tuesday, 31 March, our officers were made aware that Dominic Cummings had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city.

"At the request of Mr Cummings's father, an officer made contact the following morning by telephone.

"During that conversation, Mr Cummings's father confirmed that his son had travelled with his family from London to the North East and was self-isolating in part of the property.

"Durham Constabulary deemed that no further action was required. However, the officer did provide advice in relation to security issues."

A Labour source said of the fresh allegations: "If these latest revelations are true, why on earth were cabinet ministers sent out this afternoon to defend Dominic Cummings?

"We need an urgent investigation by the cabinet secretary to get to the bottom of this matter.

"It cannot be right that there is one rule for the prime minister's adviser and another for the British people."

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford echoed calls by acting leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey for Boris Johnson to sack Mr Cummings.

He wrote on Twitter: "It is clear that Boris Johnson must sack Dominic Cummings.

"When the PM's top adviser ignores the government's instruction to the public not to engage in non-essential travel he has to leave office. Immediately."

During a briefing on Saturday afternoon, prior to the second visit allegations, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps stated Mr Cummings had the "full support" of the PM.

Asked to clarify guidance about travelling during lockdown, deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said it was "clear" someone with symptoms should self-isolate along with their family.

Dr Harries said if there was a "safeguarding issue" where a child had "no support", that was also an issue.

"There's always a safeguarding clause in all of the advice," she said, adding: "The interpretation of that advice is probably for others."

On Saturday morning, senior members of government had voiced their support for Mr Cummings, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

On Monday, Mr Johnson will hold a cabinet meeting to discuss ways to slowly end lockdown restrictions for certain sectors.

And the track and test system is set to be launched at the end of the week.

A timeline of Dominic Cummings during lockdown:

18 March: At his Downing Street briefing the PM said: "Children should not be left with older grandparents, or older relatives, who may be particularly vulnerable or fall into some of the vulnerable groups."

22 March: Government advice is that people must remain in their primary residence and not travel to their second homes: "Leaving your home - the place you live - to stay at another home is not allowed."

23 March: Strict lockdown rules are imposed which mean people can only leave their houses for essential travel.

27 March: Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock are confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus. Mr Cummings is seen running along Downing Street.

Dominic Cummings seen running from the door of number 10 Downing Street

Mr Cummings is seen running from No 10
Weekend of 28 and 29 March: Over this weekend, Mr Cummings developed coronavirus symptoms, Downing Street later confirmed.

31 March: Mr Cummings travelled to his family's farm in Durham - and it was on this date that Mr Cummings' family were spoken to by police.

10 April: Deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries said being too ill to look after a small child was an "exceptional circumstance" and she pointed to accessing family support, among other options.

12 April: Mr Cummings was seen in Barnard Castle, 30 miles from his parents' Durham home, according to reports.

14 April: Mr Cummings is pictured in Downing Street after recovering from coronavirus.

19 April: He was allegedly seen in Durham after apparently returning there, according to reports.

25 April: In a Spectator column, Mr Cummings' wife, Mary Wakefield, detailed his illness.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...ip-to-durham-during-lockdown-reports-11993660
 
Conservative MP calls for Cummings to resign

A prominent member of the 1922 Committee composed of Conservative backbench MPs has called for Dominic Cummings “to go”.

Steve Baker, the MP for Wycombe and former Brexit minister, tweeted: "It is intolerable that Boris' government is losing so much political capital.

Three changes are immediately required:

In The Critic magazine, Baker called Cummings "brilliant" but wrote that allegations of a further breach of lockdown in the Sunday papers were a "disaster" and that he had clearly broke guidance which kept parents at home.

He added: "Dominic Cummings must go before he does any more harm to the UK, the Government, the Prime Minister, our institutions or the Conservative Party. It is time for Dom to resign so Boris can govern within the conventions and norms which will see us through."
 
Calls grow for the sacking of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's top aide, Dominic Cummings

A growing number of Conservative MPs are calling for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sack his top aide, Dominic Cummings.

It comes after prominent 1922 Committee member Steve Baker first said this morning Cummings "must go".

Other Tory MPs include:

Sir Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet, who tweeted that Cummings' position "is no longer tenable"

Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton, who tweeted "there cannot be one rule for most of us and wriggle room for others"

Craig Whittaker, MP for Calder Valley, who agreed Cummings' position was "untenable" and tweeted that "you cannot advise the nation one thing then do the opposite"

Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe and former chair of the digital, culture, media and sport Committee, who tweeted "the government would be better without [Cummings]"

Simon Hoare, MP for North Dorset, who tweeted that Cummings "must consider his position" and was "wounding the PM/Govt"

Peter Bone, MP for Wellingborough and Rushden, told LBC that Cummings "has to go" because he broke the rules and has not apologised

William Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove, has retweeted Baker's criticism of Cummings.
 
As bad as it looks that one of the people in charge of making the lockdown rules would so blatantly break them, that's not the reason in my opinion that it has blown up so spectacularly. I think most people, even Tory supporters, have just been angered by Cummings' and the government's stubborn, unapologetic and almost arrogant reaction. If they had simply accepted an honest mistake was made and apologised, most people would have been able to move on. Instead, they are so hell-bent on defending him to the death on something so cut-and-dry as this, that it has blown up in their faces. Bravo Boris and co. :)
 
'Very clear' Cummings broke lockdown rules - ex-Durham police chief

It is "very clear" Dominic Cummings broke the UK lockdown rules and his actions will now make policing more difficult, former Durham Police Chief Constable Mike Barton says.

Cummings, Boris Johnson's chief advisor, has been criticised for travelling from London to Durham while his wife had coronavirus symptoms and is also facing fresh allegations of a second trip to the north east.

Regarding the first trip, Cummings said he acted "reasonably and legally" as he travelled for childcare purposes.

Barton said Cummings' defence is "rubbish".

"The area they [the government] are going to, which mentions children, does not allow you to do what they did," he said.

"The Deputy Chief Medical Officer made it really clear that it has got to be a life-threatening issue. This was not life threatening.

"Let's not beat around bush. I am making really clear - 40 years of policing understanding the law and interpreting the law - reasonable excuse is not to do what they did."

Barton said "of course" Cummings' actions would make policing more difficult.

"What makes it really hard, not only fact Cummings did this but the fact he is completely unrepentant," Barton added.

"Not only that, but you have got a government minister yesterday, [transport secretary] Mr Shapps, making it up as he was going along simply to save the skin of an advisor to the prime minister.

"I think it is appalling."
 
UK's Johnson defends Dominic Cummings amid calls for resignation

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended the actions of his chief adviser Dominic Cummings, who has faced growing calls to resign for allegedly breaching national coronavirus lockdown regulations.

Johnson addressed a government news conference on Sunday amid growing pressure to remove Cummings, who has defended his decision to drive 250 miles (400 kilometres) from London to his parents' home in Durham, in northeast England, with his wife and son as he was coming down with COVID-19 symptoms at the end of March.

"I believe that in every respect he has acted responsibly and legally," Johnson told a news conference.

Britain's lockdown, which began on March 23, stipulated that people should remain at their primary residence, leaving only for essential local errands and exercise. Anyone with coronavirus symptoms was told to completely isolate themselves.

"Dominic Cummings has a track record of believing that the rules don’t apply to him and treating the scrutiny that should come to anyone in a position of authority with contempt," tweeted Conservative politician Damian Collins. "The government would be better without him."

Tory politician Steve Baker on Sunday said Cummings "must go before he does any more harm to the UK, the government, the prime minister, our institutions or the Conservative Party," in remarks featured on the UK website The Critic.

The government has defended Cummings, saying he travelled to be near extended family because his wife was showing COVID-19 symptoms, he correctly thought he was also infected and he wanted to ensure that his four-year-old son was looked after.

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said Cummings' actions were "justifiable and reasonable".

The coronavirus cut a swath through the top ranks of Britain’s government in March and April, infecting people including Cummings, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Johnson himself, who has said that the medical staff at a London hospital saved his life.

Critics of the government expressed outrage that Cummings had broken strict rules that for two months have prevented Britons from visiting elderly relatives, comforting dying friends or even attending the funerals of loved ones. The opposition Labour Party has called for an official investigation.

Cummings is a key but contentious figure in Johnson’s administration. A self-styled political disruptor who disdains the media and civil service, he was one of the architects of the successful campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, and orchestrated the Conservatives' decisive election victory in December.

Government defence
Ministers in Johnson's government defended him as a father concerned for the welfare of his child who travelled to be near his family but self-isolated in a separate building, away from his elderly parents.

"The most important thing is that Mr Cummings and his family remained locked down" for 14 days once they arrived in Durham, said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who added that Cummings would not resign.

Shapps denied a second claim that Cummings was spotted again in Durham on April 19, after he had recovered from the virus and returned to work in London. But he said he did not know the truth of a report in Sunday newspapers that Cummings had visited a town 30 miles (50 kilometres) from Durham on April 12.

Johnson’s government is already facing criticism for its response to a pandemic that has hit Britain harder than any other European country.

Britain’s official coronavirus death toll stands at 36,757, the second-highest confirmed total in the world after the United States.

Statistics that include suspected as well as confirmed virus cases put the toll well over 40,000.

The UK is gradually easing its lockdown, allowing more outdoor recreation and letting some shops and businesses reopen.

The government hopes primary schools can start reopening in June, though many parents and teachers worry that it is not yet safe to do so.

Cummings is one of several senior UK officials to be accused of flouting the lockdown rules.

Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson stepped down as government scientific adviser earlier this month after a newspaper disclosed that his girlfriend had crossed London to stay with him during the lockdown.

In April, Catherine Calderwood resigned as Scotland's chief medical officer after twice travelling from Edinburgh to her second home.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ressure-dominic-cummings-200524143209004.html
 
Boris Johnson says he thought what the family did was "totally understandable" and said there was guidance about that particular scenario.

"Looking at the situation any father, any parent would frankly understand what he did," he said.

The prime minister added he acted in such a way as to avoid the spread of the virus.

On a secondary question about shops reopening on 1 June, the prime minister says "watch this space".

Johnson says childcare needs have "got to be taken into account".

The PM adds that he has seen "a lot of stuff ...that does not seem to correspondent remotely with reality and, as far as I can see, he stuck to the rules and acted legally and responsibly with the sole objective of avoiding such contact as would spread the virus."
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This was a test of the Prime Minister and he has failed it.<br><br>It is an insult to sacrifices made by the British people that Boris Johnson has chosen to take no action against Dominic Cummings.</p>— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) <a href="https://twitter.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1264603384264482817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">An unauthorised tweet was posted on a government channel this evening. The post has been removed and we are investigating the matter.</p>— Cabinet Office (@cabinetofficeuk) <a href="https://twitter.com/cabinetofficeuk/status/1264613950790008835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This tweet presumably referring to the earlier one.

Shambles.
 
Dominic Cummings is facing a possible police investigation under health laws over a claim that he breached self-isolation rules in north-east England, after a weekend of mounting pressure on the prime minister to sack his chief adviser.

Retired chemistry teacher Robin Lees has made a complaint to the police after reporting that he saw Cummings and his family on 12 April walking in the town of Barnard Castle before getting into a car, a joint investigation by the Guardian and Mirror can reveal.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">An unauthorised journey was taken by a government adviser. The advisor will not be removed and we are not investigating the matter. <a href="https://t.co/W4DPnlFhIp">https://t.co/W4DPnlFhIp</a></p>— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) <a href="https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/1264620641296277505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">When you find out who it was, let us know. I want to give them a year’s salary. <a href="https://t.co/D7DRlwcjty">https://t.co/D7DRlwcjty</a></p>— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) <a href="https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1264617551411261441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Plans in the UK to ease the lockdown are being overshadowed by claims that an aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson broke the lockdown rules.

In March, Dominic Cummings drove 260 miles from London so his parents could help with childcare - Cummings' wife and later Cummings himself both had to self-isolate with virus symptoms.

He also later drove around 30 miles from his temporary home in County Durham, apparently after his 14-day self-isolation.

Boris Johnson has defended his top aide, insisting he acted "responsibly, legally and with integrity".

The prime minister is this week expected to set out details of plans to lift restrictions. At a news conference on Sunday, he already confirmed the phased reopening of England's primary schools will begin on 1 June.
 
Scientists who have been advising the government during the coronavirus crisis have accused the prime minister of "trashing" the advice they have given to help curb the outbreak.

Members of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) hit out at Boris Johnson, after he backed Dominic Cummings' decision to travel 260 miles to his parents' house in the North East during lockdown.

SPI-B feeds analysis and advice to the scientists on the government's emergency panel SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies).

Professor Stephen Reicher, a member of the SPI-B, wrote on Twitter: "As one of those involved in SPI-B, the government advisory group on behavioural science, I can say that in a few short minutes tonight, Boris Johnson has trashed all the advice we have given on how to build trust and secure adherence to the measures necessary to control COVID-19.

"Be open and honest, we said. Trashed. Respect the public, we said. Trashed. Ensure equity, so everyone is treated the same, we said. Trashed. Be consistent we said. Trashed. Make clear 'we are all in it together'. Trashed."
 
Even the Daily Mail has turned on Johnson today.

I think this is the moment where the Tories lose in 2024.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This poor boy's family stayed away from his deathbed & funeral because they obeyed the Govt rules. Imagine how that family is feeling now, knowing that all they had to do was follow their 'instinct', not the rules?<br>You're a disgrace <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BorisJohnson</a>. RIP Ismail. <a href="https://t.co/ojbA8w8edc">pic.twitter.com/ojbA8w8edc</a></p>— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) <a href="https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1264604695223513089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
A brilliant video:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There cannot be one rule for Dominic Cummings and another for the British people. <a href="https://t.co/ji9m9vg3WS">pic.twitter.com/ji9m9vg3WS</a></p>— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) <a href="https://twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1264532041380638725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says the prime minister made "absolutely clear" that his senior aide only took one trip to Durham, despite reports that he made another trip there after returning to London in April.

Speaking on BBC's Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Williamson said Dominic Cummings has at "every stage operated within the rules" whilst abiding by the law.

He added that he didn't have "any more details than that", before changing the direction of the conversation to focus on schools.

Mr Williamson said the government had been monitoring a number of nations across the world where they have seen a "very gradual return".

Coronavirus though, he said, was "something that we are going to be dealing with not just over the next few months, but potentially for a very long period of time and we can’t be in a situation where the people who have suffered so much, in terms of young children, are going to be missing out on education".

On Sunday, Boris Johnson confirmed that schools will reopen on 1 June for early years pupils, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.
 
The PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings is to make a public statement and take questions over allegations he broke coronavirus lockdown rules.

Mr Cummings is facing calls from Labour and some Tory MPs to quit or be fired.

He travelled 260 miles with his family to be near relatives when his wife developed Covid-19 symptoms.

The PM has insisted his closest aide acted legally and within guidelines - but critics say the government's lockdown message has been undermined.
 
Robert said:
Even the Daily Mail has turned on Johnson today.

I think this is the moment where the Tories lose in 2024.
Click to expand...

That's when you know they've really messed up. That the Daily Mail would attack the Tories as much as they attacked Starmer for buying land for his mother's donkeys. Truly unprecedented times.
 
Durham police to be asked to investigate Dominic Cummings

The police and crime commissioner for Durham is to formally write to the chief constable of the force he oversees asking for an investigation into Dominic Cummings.

Steve White, the acting police, crime and victims’ commissioner for Durham, will on Monday ask the force to investigate all the claims about the prime minister’s principal adviser’s time in the Durham area during the coronavirus lockdown and establish the facts.

Cummings, along with his wife and four-year-old son, travelled 260 miles from his London home to his parents’ farm in Durham in late March. The couple say they feared they may be incapacitated by coronavirus and thus struggle to look after their child. Many view that as a breach of the lockdown rules to stay home and have called for Cummings to resign or be sacked as chief aide to Boris Johnson.

The disclosures came out of a joint investigation by the Guardian and Daily Mirror that has rocked the government since details were first published last Friday.

Durham police are understood to have received further information and complaints about Cummings’s time in around Durham since the
revelations on Friday. Officers are reviewing and examining that new information.

The letter to Durham’s chief constable, Jo Farrell, will ask her to look at all the claims about Cummings’s time in Durham. That includes an alleged sighting of him in Barnard Castle, some distance away from his parents’ home.

The letter will say an inquiry is necessary to maintain public confidence in the force.

White, in a statement on Saturday, backed the force’s handling of the matter so far. Since the Guardian and Daily Mirror first reported the story, additional allegations have surfaced.

Police and crime commissioners are responsible for holding the forces they oversee to account. Chief constables maintain operational independence.

In a statement issued on Monday, White said the Durham force had so far handled the matter appropriately.

He added: “It is clear, however, that there is a plethora of additional information circulating in the public domain which deserves appropriate examination. I have today written to the chief constable, asking her to establish the facts concerning any potential breach of the law or regulations in this matter at any juncture.

“It is vital that the force can show it has the interests of the people of County Durham and Darlington at its heart, so that the model of policing by consent, independent of government but answerable to the law, is maintained.

“It will be for the chief constable to determine the operational response to this request and I am confident that with the resources at its disposal, the force can show proportionality and fairness in what has become a major issue of public interest and trust.”

The sighting in Barnard Castle was 30 miles from the home of Cummings’s parents. It was witnessed by a man who made a note of a number plate and the witness, retired chemistry teacher Robin Lees, has made a complaint to the police. He says he saw Cummings and his family on 12 April, walking in the town before getting into a car.

At a Downing Street press conference dominated by questions about Cummings’s movements during the lockdown, the prime minister did not dispute that his adviser had made a trip to the Tees Valley beauty spot.

Police were unaware that Cummings had travelled to his parents’ farm in Durham from his London home until his father informed them.

Robert Cummings asked a friend to contact police because he wanted security advice after his son, suffering from Covid-19 symptoms, arrived in the north-east in late March.

Months earlier he had got advice on security for his son from Durham police, but had mislaid the contact details.

On 31 March, Robert Cummings contacted someone he knew had details of a senior officer in the Durham force. That senior officer arranged for special branch to contact Cummings’s father.

During that call the special branch officer gave advice on security, as well as on physical distancing.

Cummings’s father was spoken to again by police earlier this month after they became aware of claims, which are unsubstantiated, on social media and inquiries from a journalist about whether the his son had again been seen in the Durham area.

Robert Cummings denied the claim, and said his son was not present at the family farm. Police accepted his word.

In a statement issued on Saturday evening, Durham police said: “On Tuesday, March 31, our officers were made aware that Dominic Cummings had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city.

“At the request of Mr Cummings’ father, an officer made contact the following morning by telephone.

“During that conversation, Mr Cummings’ father confirmed that his son had travelled with his family from London to the north-east and was self-isolating in part of the property.”

In a statement issued last Friday, Durham police said: “In line with national policing guidance, officers explained to the family the guidelines around self-isolation and reiterated the appropriate advice around essential travel.”

No further action was taken.

Durham police have issued a relatively low number of fines for lockdown breaches, compared with other forces.

If Durham police decide to investigate, they could use automatic number-plate recognition technology to search for sightings of any car associated with Cummings, which would help in establishing his movements in the Durham area, as well as securing CCTV footage.
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...calls-for-investigation-into-dominic-cummings
 
Cummings statement at 16:00 BST

The UK prime minister's chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, is set to give a statement and take questions from the press shortly amid a flurry of calls for him to resign.

He has faced criticism for driving 260 miles from London to County Durham to be closer to family during lockdown while his wife was showing symptoms of coronavirus.

Newspapers have also claimed he broke isolation to make a 30-mile trip while in the county, and that he returned to the area after coming back to London.

Boris Johnson has stood by his top aide, but critics from across the political spectrum - including his own party - say the government's lockdown message has been undermined and Mr Cummings should resign.
 
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The only way out of this is a government stooge police investigation and then an internal investigation...which will both magically clear Cummings of all wrong doings. The Mail will be passed a couple of brown bags and back off and a new situation will be created to take the headlines...what can it be? A terror attack maybe? Or possibly a new tid bit of covid news?

Who knows
 
Speaking now...

Cummings: I should have made this statement earlier

After a 30 minute delay, Dominic Cummings begins his press conference by telling reporters with an apology for being late.

The PM's special adviser reads from a statement, saying he gave a full account to the prime minister for his actions, but says the PM asked him to do it.

"I know that millions of people have been suffering and thousands have died," he says.

"In retrospect, I should have made this statement earlier."


'I did not ask the PM'

Mr Cummings confirms he did not consult the prime minister before travelling to County Durham.

"I did not ask the prime minister about the decision, he was ill himself and he had huge problems to deal with," he says.

"I thought that I would speak to him when the situation clarified in the coming days," he adds - regarding his own symptoms and whether or not he could get tested.

He adds that "arguably this was a mistake" and that he understands some may say he should have spoken to the PM.


Cummings: Running to the car

Cummings explains the chronology of events beginning on 26 March and how a day later he was at 10 Downing Street when his wife told him she had symptoms. .

He says he returned home, being filmed "running to the car" after a phone call from his wife.

"She told me she suddenly felt badly ill and she had vomitted and felt like she might pass out," he says.

After a couple of hours, his wife felt better and he returned to work.

But on returning home, he "discussed the situation with my wife" and concluded, due to the PM and numerous people in No 10 contradicting the coronavorus, there was a "distinct probability I had already caught the disease".


Cummings does not 'regret' actions

The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg asks if Dominic Cummings regrets what he did.

He answers he doesn't.

"I think what I did was actually reasonable in these circumstances," says Mr Cummings.

He says "in terms of the rules", dealing with small children was an "exceptional circumstance".

"The way that I dealt with it was the least risk to everybody concerned," he adds.


Cummings: Travelling was the 'best thing to do'

Mr Cummings says that stories in the media had suggested he opposed lockdown - but that he had "argued for it".

He says stories in the media had "created a very bad atmosphere around my home" - making it a "target - and that he worried about "the possibility of leaving my wife and child at home all day ... while I worked at No 10".

He adds that driving to the "isolated cottage" in County Durham - which he says does not have neighbours in the "normal sense - was the "best thing to do".


Cummings says he and his wife went to Barnard Castle

Cummings said on 11 April "some people saw us from a distance", but the couple had not left the land of the property.

By that date, he said he was "hoping to return to work the following week, and sought medical advice.

"I was told he was safe," he says.

He and his wife then spoke and "agreed we should go for short drive" to see if he could manage it.

Cummings says the pair "ended up on outskirts of Barnard Castle" but denies they "walked around the town".

However, when he "felt a bit sick", they walked "10 or 15 minutes" from the car and sat down.

His wife said "happy Easter" to someone, but there were no other interactions.


Cummings: I understand anger after media reports

Laura Kuenssberg asks if he has exploited a "loophole" in the rules and if he understood why people were angry.

"I certianly do," Mr Cummings replied. "After some of the media over the last couple of days I am not surprised you are very angry if you are someone sitting at home watching the media over last three days.

"But I think and hope that today explained all the circumstances about it complicated tricky situation."

He says it may have been a "mistake" not to tell the PM on the Friday night when he decided to leave, adding he has "thought a lot over this period what I could have done better in dealing with the whole crisis".

"There are lot of things I could have done better but in this 14 days [my actions were] reasonable."


Cummings: I don't think I am so different

Sky's Beth Rigby asks why Dominic Cummings thinks he is so different to "thousands of ordinary families" and does he owe them apology.

"I don't think I am so different," he says.

"I think that I looked at the guidance, I knew what it was, it talks about exceptional circumstances with small children... and I think I behaved responsibly and legally."


We 'stayed away' from my parents


Dominic Cummings says he "stayed away" from his parents while in Durham and that he has been with his wife since they
returned to London.

"I'm not exactly sure where the boundaries of London are, but as far as I'm aware the only time I've left London since Tuesday, 14 April, was to go to Chequers [for a meeting with the prime minister]," he says.


Cummings: It was safest place to be
Asked whether it was a case of being in a "privileged position" and that "one rule for most" people did not apply to him, Mr Cummings says: "I don't think that's the case. The reason I went to that place was it seemed like the safest option."

"The point about it wasn't that it was some nice place to be. If you'd been there you'd see that it's sort of concrete blocks," he says. "The point about it was not that it was a nice place to be but it was the safest place to be in the circumstances."


Cummings: Up to PM if I stay

Asked if he will leave if the controversy continues to detract from the government, he says it is "up to the prime minister".

"I am here to do the best I can for the government and change the country for the better."

Mr Cummings explains that because of the confusion surrounding his trip, "the PM, I and others thought only thing to do now is come out and discuss it and lay the whole thing out".

He says he hopes people will understand now that they had heard "what happened in a very complicated situation".

"I behaved reasonably and tried to minimise risks."

He admits that people may be thinking they would have done things differently and "perhaps they are right".

"I am not saying I know I am right. I am saying this is why I did it at the time."

The next reporter asks why Mr Cummings wasn't "honest with the public before now".

He says there has been "a long string of inaccurate stories about me for month after month after month, and the truth is answering a lot of these things doesn't clear up confusion - it frequently leads to more confusion".

The adviser says he has been "really worried about the whole thing", and admits that "in retrospect, it would have been better to set this out earlier".

But he adds: "We have to make judgements about these things in No 10 and our judgement at the time is it would lead to more confusion."

Dominic Cummings says driving with a "full tank of petrol" to an "isolated" location, with his nieces who could have looked after his child if necessary nearby, was the "safest thing in the circumstances".

"If I'd stayed in London and a similar thing had happened, I'd have had to get someone else there and expose them to danger," he says.

He says he did not fill up with petrol on the way to County Durham, but is "pretty sure we called in and filled up" on the way back.

"But remember at this point I'd been cleared to drive back to work, so I don't think in any way that's breaking the rules," he says.

Mr Cummings says "it's not just a simple matter of regulations".

"The regulations describe various exceptional circumstances where it may not be possible to follow the rules," he says.

"It doesn't say 'you should stay at home in all circumstances'. It says there are some circumstances in which you won't be able to follow those rules. And it seemed to me that I was in such exceptional circumstances."

The next reporter asks if those people without gardens, "never mind access to private land", had been "stupid to follow rules" when he was "looking for loopholes".

Mr Cummings says: "No, of course the public were not stupid... and I wasn't looking for loopholes.

"I was looking to do the best that I could in a complex situation, weighing up the safety of my child with getting back to work."

Pushed on how a trip to Barnard Castle would help with his work or childcare, Mr Cummings says it was a "reasonable thing to do" rather than "cracking on to do the whole trip" back to London as his eyesight had been affected by the illness.

What are the rules on looking after children?

Reality Check

Dominic Cummings has defended his actions by saying that “the rules made clear that if you are dealing with small children, then that can be exceptional circumstances”.

The stay at home guidelines say people who live with someone who develops symptoms "must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days".

However, the same guidance document also says that “we are aware that not all these measures will be possible” if you are living with children.

On Friday, Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, pointed out that "risk to life" would be a valid reason to break lockdown rules.

Back in March, Dr Harries said that if both parents were unable to look after a small child and had no access to family or other support, they should get help from the local authority.

Mr Cummings says he spoke to the prime minister about the situation "a week after it happened" but that his movements "were not really part of our conversation".

"We were talking about vaccines, we were talking about treatments... we did not spend a lot of time talking about me and where I was, and my own circumstances," he says.

The next reporter asks about Dominic Cummings "blaming the media" for "the mess you have got the government into", but says it was he who broke the rules.

Mr Cummings disagrees that he has "broken the spirit" of the rules.

He says that when he left London, his wife did not have a cough or fever, but was ill and had thrown up.

"We didn't know whether or not she had Covid," he answers.

The walk in the woods he took "was on private land", he adds, saying he "did not leave the property - it was perfectly reasonable behaviour".

Mr Cummings also c

Mr Cummings says it has "caused a lot of anger" and "people have shouted at me in the street".

But on the issue of the need to ask the PM about whether he should have gone, he says Boris Johnson had "a lot on his plate" and "the honest truth about my job is there are endless problems all day long", so he can't check everything.

"Maybe I should have done. The PM's time is just about the most valuable commodity in the government."

Mr Cummings says the lockdown rules "talk about exceptional circumstances with small children".

"I was trying to weigh up on that Friday night conflicting things between what happens if we're both ill? Who's going to look after my son? What's the safest way of doing that? Is there a way I might be able to go back to work the following week if the whole testing system changes?" he says.

"I was trying to weigh all those things up. Given that, I don't believe I broke the rules."

Sky's Beth Rigby asks why Dominic Cummings thinks he is so different to "thousands of ordinary families" and if he owes them an apology.

"I don't think I am so different," he says.

"I think that I looked at the guidance, I knew what it was, it talks about exceptional circumstances with small children... and I think I behaved responsibly and legally."
 
Last edited:
Video of statement and questions:

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Dominic Cummings says he does not "regret" his actions during lockdown - as he admitted for the first time making a third trip while Britons were being told to "stay at home".

In an unprecedented news conference outside Downing Street, the prime minister's special adviser confirmed he, his wife and young child travelled from London to Durham.

After staying at his parents' farm, 15 days after developing COVID-19 symptoms, the three of them went for a "test drive" to Barnard Castle - 30 minutes away - to check he was well enough to drive home.

"My wife was very worried, particularly as my eyesight seemed to have been affected by the disease," he recalled.

"She did not want to risk a nearly 300-mile drive with our child given how ill I had been."

He said a passer-by spotted them but none of the family went near them and he followed social distancing measures.

Mr Cummings added he was in "exceptional circumstances" for having to seek childcare arrangements in case he and his wife were incapacitated, so they decamped 260 miles from London to Durham at the end of March.

"I don't regret what I did," he insisted, speaking from the rose garden outside the back of Number 10. "I was trying to balance all of these very complicated things."

Mr Cummings claimed he "wasn't looking for loopholes" in the rules to justify his multiple trips, adding: "It's not a simple matter of regulations... It doesn't say you should stay at home in all circumstances."

He confirmed he did not seek the prime minister's permission in advance because Mr Johnson "had a million things on his plate" but they discussed it "in the week after it happened".

"I can't go to him all day asking what do you think about this... maybe I should have done," he told Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby.

Mr Cummings said he could not have remained in the isolated cottage in Durham for weeks afterwards because he was part of vital work in Downing Street to combat the coronavirus pandemic and needed to "relieve the intense strain at Number 10".

He confirmed he has "not considered" offering to resign despite calls to do so by 20 Tory MPs, an NHS nurse and bishops.

But when asked if these explanations should have been given at the time or when media reports first surfaced, he said: "In retrospect, I think it would have been better to set this out earlier."

Mr Cummings also for the first time denied flatly reports he was spotted again visiting Durham a week after he went back to London, saying: "Photos and data on my phone prove this to be false, I was in London on that day."

Senior cabinet minister rallied round the former Vote Leave boss afterwards, Michael Gove saying it was "clear" he "acted legally and reasonably".

Boris Johnson will likely face more questions about the lockdown trips when he fronts the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing at 6:30pm.

His top advisers from the science and medical sides, Prof Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, will also join him for the news conference.

On Sunday, the prime minister gave Mr Cummings his full backing, saying he "followed the instincts of every father and every parent" and "acted responsibly and legally and with integrity"

Extraordinary. Unprecedented. An unelected adviser to the prime minister taking a solo press conference for 70 minutes, about his own conduct is not a spectacle Westminster has seen before or is likely to again.

And after 72 hours which has rocked Boris Johnson's government, as the prime minister and cabinet have swung behind Dominic Cummings in face of growing anger, how did he do?

Well, the key thing to say is there was no apology. Mr Cummings confirmed he had travelled 260 miles to Durham after his wife Mary fell ill - and isolated there, in defiance of what most people took to be an instruction to stay at home.

He claimed he did not tell the prime minister about it - and that is the only aspect of this for which he expressed some regret.

Sympathy yes, for others in the same or worse situations who were unaware of the legal clause he uses to defend his conduct on the grounds of his "extreme circumstances" including feeling as if his London home could be a target.

But for the public anger, he entirely blamed the media reporting of his actions.

And there is the bizarre business about his half-hour drive to Barnard Castle from Durham in order to "test his eyesight" ahead of a drive back to London. That will be picked over for some time.

What has stuck in the craw for many of his critics, including Tory MPs, is Mr Cummings perceived arrogance - refusing to give any explanation of his actions until this point other than to claim media reports were inaccurate.

Having confirmed that plenty of it was accurate, and made clear that that has at no point offered to resign or indeed considered it, won't endear him on that front.

All in all - Mr Cummings certainly didn't duck scrutiny, he took dozens of questions, and for a man often caricatured by his enemies, he appeared human and at times nervous.

He said he understood the "intense hardship and sacrifice" of others as a result of the lockdown he helped create, and asked people to understand him. Many won't, especially as sorry seemed to be the hardest word.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...l-circumstances-behind-lockdown-trip-11994515
 
The acting leader of the Liberal Democrats says Dominic Cummings' press conference "made the situation worse".

Sir Ed Davey told BBC News: "There was no apology, he said he did not regret anything, he said he went driving to test his eyesight... come on."

He adds: "Millions of people who made huge sacrifices will actually be deeply worried, saying the chief adviser did break the rules, and asking questions about that.

"They will be pretty angry."

Now "the prime minister has to decide what to do", he says, adding that is "a question of his judgement".

Sir Ed says: "If the prime minister doesn't act now, he is frankly not fit to lead the country in this crisis."
 
Went to a beauty spot to see if his eyesight is fine to drive
 
My man drove 260 Miles under the fear of Covid with a child in the car. Surely that alone is enough for prosecution?
 
PM asked: Is support for Cummings unconditional?

No, the PM says: "I can't give any unconditional backing to anybody, but I do not believe that anybody in No 10 has done anything to undermine our messaging."


PM: People will make up their minds about Cummings

During the briefing, Mr Johnson was asked repeatedly about Dominic Cummings' claim that he drove to a beauty spot to "test his eyesight", and about calls for him to quit.

Gesturing to his glasses, he said: "On the point about eyesight, I'm finding I have to wear spectacles for the first time in years, I think, because of the effects of this thing. So... I think that's very, very plausible that there is that eyesight can be a problem associated with coronavirus."

He said he understands "why people may wish to see resignations" but adds: "I think that people will make up their make up their minds about was what Mr Cummings had to say."
 
Asked during the briefing whether he regrets Dominic Cummings' actions, the PM said: "Yes, of course I do regret the confusion and the anger and the pain that people feel."

"This is a country that has been going through the most tremendous difficulties and suffering in the course of the last 10 weeks," Mr Johnson said. "And that's why I really did want people to understand exactly what had happened."
 
The government is to try to shift focus away from a row about a senior aide's travels during the coronavirus lockdown - and on to plans to further ease restrictions in England.

Dominic Cummings said he believed he had acted "reasonably" and legally when he drove 260 miles from home in March.

His statement on Monday overshadowed the PM's new plans to reopen all non-essential shops in England on 15 June.

Boris Johnson said shops will be able to open if they meet safety guidelines.

Outdoor markets and car showrooms will be allowed to reopen from 1 June.

Retailers have generally welcomed the announcement but some experts said more clarity was needed on how shops should keep staff and customers safe.

Despite the government's preference that the row dies away over Mr Cummings' lockdown trip, opposition MPs are due to meet later to discuss how to hold Boris Johnson and his senior aide to account.

Labour has criticised Mr Cummings for failing to apologise for his actions, while other parties continue to call for him to be sacked.

Mr Cummings has been facing calls to resign after it emerged he had driven his child and ill wife from London to County Durham during lockdown.

But at his news conference the former Vote Leave chief said he did not regret his actions.

On the subject of why he then drove his family to the town of Barnard Castle - 15 days after he had displayed symptoms - Mr Cummings said he was testing his eyesight to see if he could make the trip back down to London. He explained that he had experienced some eyesight problems during his illness.

Following the conference, several government ministers rallied in support of Mr Cummings, with many writing on Twitter that it was "time to move on".

Dominic Cummings' rose garden confessional was a bold move designed to take the drama out of a crisis.

But giving detailed answers to why he at the very least broke the spirit of the lockdown rules does not answer the fundamental question now - is his continued presence in Downing Street more of a hindrance than a help to Boris Johnson?

Tempers may have cooled slightly on the Conservative backbenches, but there are still calls for him to go, both private and public.

And some senior Conservative MPs are still aghast at how much political capital the prime minister has burned through to keep Mr Cummings at his side. Opposition leaders still intend to push for his departure.

The man respected by Mr Johnson for judging the public mood has made himself famous for falling foul of that opinion.

His explanations may ease for some of the anger. But in Westminster and beyond, it will not disappear overnight.

And when the prime minister is interrogated by senior MPs on Wednesday his decisions over Dominic Cummings will surely be on the list.

Boris Johnson said he regretted the "confusion and anger" caused by the row but continued to back Mr Cummings.

Meanwhile, all shops in England will be allowed to reopen from 15 June provided they meet new social distancing and hygiene measures to protect customers and staff from the virus.

Mr Johnson said the change would depend on premises being "Covid-secure" and on the country making progress towards meeting the five tests set out by the government as being crucial to lifting the lockdown restrictions.

Catherine Shuttleworth, chief executive of the retail consultancy Savvy, said some smaller retailers would want "more clarity" from safety guidelines, on things like how many people can be in a store at one time.

She also questioned whether there would be the appetite from the public to return to shops.

"Shopping is a social, fun experience a lot of the time and social distancing takes that away. It's going to be a very different way of shopping from what we're used to," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Schools in England have also been told to prepare for a phased reopening from the beginning of June, beginning with pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.

On June 15, up to a quarter of Year 10 and Year 12 will be allowed "some contact" to help prepare for exams.

However, the prime minister acknowledged some schools would not be ready to open then.

Latest government figures show the number of people to die with coronavirus in the UK rose by 121 to 36,914 on Monday.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52803224
 
NHS Confederation chief executive Niall Dickson has raised concerns about the potential "damage" to public confidence in official Covid-19 guidance due to the case of the UK government's senior aide Dominic Cummings.

Mr Dickson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Over the next few weeks, following guidance is going to be as vital as ever and actually it's going to be more complex because as lockdown eases the advice is, frankly, less binary and people have to exercise more discretion.

"So I think there is concern that this has been a distraction and that it's not been helpful, and the fear is that it has made people on the front line frustrated and fearful."

Mr Dickson added the incident could "undermine more generally staff confidence in government pronouncements".
 
People will make up their own minds after listening to Dominic Cummings' "exhaustive" account of his travels during the lockdown, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has said.

The prime minister's chief aide has defended driving 260 miles in March from his home to County Durham.

He said he acted reasonably and legally in going to stay on his parents' farm.

His statement on Monday overshadowed the PM's new plans to reopen all non-essential shops in England on 15 June.

Boris Johnson said shops will be able to open if they meet safety guidelines.
 
Minister becomes first to step down over Cummings row

Douglas Ross has resigned as a government minister over the row concerning senior aide Dominic Cumming's travel during the lockdown.

"I welcome the statement to clarify matters, but there remain aspects of the explanation which I have trouble with," Ross said.

Mr Ross is the first minister to step down over the row.

==

Douglas Ross backed Boris Johnson to be Tory leader and is not one of those Tories seen as hostile to his style of Government.

So this resignation is a blow – and could point to wider discontent in the party.

There is a Scottish subplot – the Scottish Tories have been accused of hypocrisy for demanding Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer resign then staying quiet about Mr Cummings.

But Mr Ross’ reasons for resigning are scathing. He says he cannot tell his constituents in good faith that they were wrong to miss funerals and other family events, but Mr Cummings was right.

He says he has listened to his constituents and resigned. The question now is whether other Tory MPs are continuing to get the same feedback.
 
PM regrets minister resignation - No 10

More on the resignation of UK junior minister Douglas Ross following the furore over the lockdown conduct of Boris Johnson's chief aide, Dominic Cummings.

Mr Ross said he was stepping down because the "vast majority of people" disagreed with Mr Cummings' explanation for travelling 260 miles at the height of the country's coronavirus restrictions.

Downing Street says Mr Johnson thanks Mr Ross "for his service to government and regrets his decision to stand down as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland".
 
TIs not even the fact he didnt resign its his arrogant attitude of not being sorry, an apology wouldnt have hurt him and he would have got on with his life but Noooooo.
 
Getting bored of this story already. People have broken the lockdown all over the country. I still see people congregating in groups, not observing social distancing in shops, travelling to and from different cities and the police haven't lifted a finger.
 
Peeps do not forget from today every Tuesday at 8pm there will be #BooforBoris :))

just like #ClapforCarers every Thursday at 8pm.
 
Markhor said:
Getting bored of this story already. People have broken the lockdown all over the country. I still see people congregating in groups, not observing social distancing in shops, travelling to and from different cities and the police haven't lifted a finger.
Click to expand...

They are not paid £100k a year of tax payers money to advise the Prime Minister.
 
King-Misbah said:
More then pay, this man is so arragont! He needs to go but he unfortunately has Boris's support.
Click to expand...

A 13 year-old boy died of Covid and was buried completely alone due to the social distancing rules Cummings help create, yet he won't even acknowledge he did anything wrong when he went on a 60-mile drive at the height of the pandemic to "test his eyesight".
 
Why did Dominic Cummings say he predicted coronavirus?

For Dominic Cummings, the PM's chief adviser, to claim, in the middle of his defence on Monday, "only last year I wrote explicitly about the danger of coronaviruses" is worthy of some inspection.

Such prescience would indeed have been impressive and helpful, and he does have a long-standing and well-known interest in mathematical modelling and big data.

Looking at his blog, there is one reference to coronavirus, and it was indeed in a blog written in March last year. But it wasn't quite as billed. It is a blog about the risk of a pandemic starting from a leak from a biological lab.

The internet archive Wayback Machine, which tracks the changing versions of publicly available websites, shows that the blog was edited some time between 9 April and 3 May this year (after the pandemic started) to insert the reference to coronavirus and Chinese labs.

It is a mystery why he felt the need to burnish his credentials as a coronavirus sage so much that he pointed to having explicitly warned about something that was only added to his blog after the event.
 
Firebat said:
Why did Dominic Cummings say he predicted coronavirus?

For Dominic Cummings, the PM's chief adviser, to claim, in the middle of his defence on Monday, "only last year I wrote explicitly about the danger of coronaviruses" is worthy of some inspection.

Such prescience would indeed have been impressive and helpful, and he does have a long-standing and well-known interest in mathematical modelling and big data.

Looking at his blog, there is one reference to coronavirus, and it was indeed in a blog written in March last year. But it wasn't quite as billed. It is a blog about the risk of a pandemic starting from a leak from a biological lab.

The internet archive Wayback Machine, which tracks the changing versions of publicly available websites, shows that the blog was edited some time between 9 April and 3 May this year (after the pandemic started) to insert the reference to coronavirus and Chinese labs.

It is a mystery why he felt the need to burnish his credentials as a coronavirus sage so much that he pointed to having explicitly warned about something that was only added to his blog after the event.
Click to expand...

And on top of all that, it turns out his touting of his prediction of coronavirus to increase his credibility was also a lie. :)
 
Robert Peston, from ITV, asks what the "relevant difference" is between Dominic Cummings' situation and Matt Hancock's - the health secretary and his wife both tested positive for coronavirus, have young children, and chose to stay in London.

Giving a very swift answer, Mr Hancock says: "We had childcare readily available at home and Mr Cummings didn't."
 
Fines given to people who have broken lockdown rules to access childcare will be "looked at" by the government, the health secretary has said.

At the government's daily coronavirus press briefing, a vicar called Martin Poole from Brighton asked Matt Hancock: "Will the government review all penalty fines imposed on families travelling for childcare purposes during lockdown?"

The question comes after days of criticism of Dominic Cummings, a senior Number 10 adviser, who travelled to Durham from London to seek childcare for his four-year-old child in case him and his wife became "incapacitated" by COVID-19.

Embattled chief advisor to the prime minister Dominic Cummings leaves his home as the furore over his lockdown trip continues

Mr Hancock replied: "We do understand the impact and the need for making sure that children get adequate childcare. That is one of the significant concerns that we've had all the way through this.

"So I think especially coming from a man of the cloth, that is perfectly reasonable to take away that question. I'll have to talk to my treasury colleagues before I can answer it in full and we'll look at it and if we can get your details I'll make sure we can write to you with a full answer and make an announcement from this podium."

Speaking after the conference to Sky News, Reverend Pool said his question was rooted in equality.

He said: "I think everything about this weekend and the kind of storm that's going around… is about unfairness.

"I think people feel a very strong sense that its not right that certain people can behave in a way that the rest of us are not allowed to

"I'm very interested, as a vicar, in unfairness. There are all sorts of different inequalities in our society at the moment and this is just one of them that needs to be sorted out and particularly for any families that have travelled, probably worried they were doing the wrong thing, and were stopped and charged a penalty notice, that should definitely be, as far as I'm concerned, refunded if that was allowed."

Reverend Poole added: "I don't think any of us realised there was an element of discretion in these rules. It seemed to me very clear that it was about staying at home. And many millions of us have done that… so for me its about fairness."

He also said that he "would like to see government ministers and advisers treated in the same way as everybody else," and that "there's a sense with government that they sometimes operate on a different set of principles to the rest of us".

Mr Poole would not be drawn on calling for Mr Cummings to resign, saying it was a matter for him and the Prime Minister.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...own-after-vicar-puts-hancock-on-spot-11995052
 
Matt Hancock admitting that the British police handing out fines to people who broke lockdown rules for childcare did not know the law?
 
Boris Johnson will be questioned by senior MPs later amid continued calls for his top adviser to resign.

It marks the first time he has appeared before the Commons Liaison Committee - the only committee that gets to question the PM - since taking office.

Committee members are expected to ask Mr Johnson about the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

He is also likely to be asked about his aide Dominic Cummings' controversial lockdown trip to County Durham.

More than 35 Tory MPs have called for Mr Cummings to resign or be fired after his 260-mile journey came to light.

Mr Cummings' decision in March to drive from his London home to his parents' farm in County Durham with his wife - who had coronavirus symptoms - and his son has dominated the headlines since the story broke on Friday night.

The PM's chief adviser gave a news conference on Monday, explaining that he decided to make the trip because he felt it would be better to self-isolate in a place where he had options for childcare if required.

He has received the continued support of the prime minister, who said that his aide had acted legally and with integrity.

But cross-party critics have called for Mr Cummings to leave No 10, while junior minister Douglas Ross resigned in protest.

Conservative MP Craig Whittaker told BBC Two's Newsnight that Mr Cummings' position was "untenable", adding: "I respect he is taking a decision but what I can't get my head around is why he can't take responsibility for that decision."

The Liaison Committee - a panel of MPs who chair various select committees - is the only Commons committee that can question the prime minister. The two-hour video conference will take place at 16:30 BST.

The committee's new chairman, Sir Bernard Jenkin, announced the session last week - before Mr Cummings' controversial trip came to light.

Sir Bernard said the coronavirus crisis had "led to a centralisation of power", making the prime minister "more personally accountable than usual".

Mr Johnson had previously been accused of dodging scrutiny after pulling out of an appearance in front of the committee in October last year.

At the time, the prime minister justified the decision by saying he had to "focus on delivering Brexit".

Sir Bernard was appointed to his new role a week ago - despite a cross-party attempt to block it after a dispute over the procedure.

He had been nominated to chair the committee by the government, even though he no longer chairs a committee of his own.

Sir Bernard, who previously chaired the Public Administration Committee, was a leading member, alongside Mr Johnson, of the 2016 campaign to get Britain out of the EU.

The Liaison Committee, which has held scrutiny sessions with prime ministers since 2002, is made up of 37 Tory, Labour and SNP MPs who head up other committees in Parliament.

Sir Bernard will be joined in his questioning of the PM by Labour MPs Hilary Benn and Sarah Champion, Tory MPs Karen Bradley and Greg Clark, and the SNP's Pete Wishart.

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood - who chairs the defence select committee - appeared unhappy on Twitter that he was not on the list, and was retweeted by fellow Tory Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the foreign affairs committee.

But a statement from Sir Bernard said the whole Liaison Committee had "unanimously agreed" the members of the working group who would be joining him for the session.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-52814815
 
Move on', Britain says to outrage over PM adviser Cummings

The British government said that it was time to move on after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior adviser provoked outrage and widespread scorn by making a 400 km (250 mile) road trip during the coronavirus lockdown.

Dominic Cummings has refused to quit after it was revealed that he had driven from London to northern England in March with his 4-year-old son and his wife, who was sick at the time, to be close to relatives.

Johnson has backed his adviser.

"Now I think is the time for us all to move on," Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told the BBC.

"That's not to say this isn't an important issue or that people don't care a great deal about it but I think there is a lot more that we need to focus on now, like the virus and the economy."
 
Lockdown-breakers using Cummings as an excuse, police say

UK police say that people breaking lockdown rules are using the actions of the prime minister's adviser Dominic Cummings - whose 260-mile trip sparked controversy - as an excuse.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson told BBC Radio 4's The World At One that the public are telling officers, "if it is okay for Cummings, it is okay for us", and "it looks like there is one rule for us and another rule for the people in No 10 Downing Street".

He said if the rules are interpreted as flexible by people at the heart of government, "then it is almost impossible for police officers to be able to carry out their job effectively".

Police were getting "quite a pushback" from all generations, he said.

"Now that is a bad sign, showing that confidence in the rules, confidence in government and thereby the police's ability to enforce it, has been undermined very much in the last few days," he said.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After 48hrs & c1000 emails from constituents expressing outage at the PM’s Chief of Staff breaking the lockdown & not apologising, it’s clear that public anger at the betrayal of their trust & compliance now risks a collapse of respect for HMG public health advice. DC has to go. <a href="https://t.co/QtHtFJIJAm">pic.twitter.com/QtHtFJIJAm</a></p>— George Freeman MP (@GeorgeFreemanMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgeFreemanMP/status/1265697612390436867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis has said she did not present the BBC Two programme on Wednesday because "I asked for the night off".

She responded to suggestions that the BBC had replaced her after it said her introduction about Dominic Cummings on Tuesday's show did not meet the required standards of due impartiality.

Newsnight's UK editor Katie Razzall presented the programme instead.

Maitlis said she knew the show "would be in the most excellent hands".

She tweeted on Thursday morning she had been "overwhelmed by all the kindness, messages - and support on here - and I've probably missed much of it. A big thank you from us all at #newsnight".

Image caption
Katie Razzall presented in Maitlis's place
Razzall said on Wednesday evening she "wouldn't have agreed to present the show" if Maitlis had been asked to take the night off.

The programme's editor Esme Wrenn said Maitlis "hasn't been replaced tonight in response to the BBC statement". Deputy editor Stewart McLean added: "For the avoidance of doubt, @maitlis has neither 'been replaced' nor 'been taken off air' for this evening's Newsnight".

Tuesday's programme opened with Maitlis saying "the country can see" government adviser Cummings had "broken the rules".

The BBC said the show should have made clear the remarks were "a summary of the questions we would examine" about the prime minister's aide.

It added the news programme's staff had been reminded about its guidelines.

Newsnight 'breached BBC impartiality guidelines'

At the beginning of the BBC Two programme, Maitlis said the country was "shocked" that the government could not see that Boris Johnson's aide had broken the rules by travelling from London to County Durham during the coronavirus lockdown.

She said the "public mood" was "one of fury, contempt and anguish", and that Cummings had made people who struggled to keep to the government's rules "feel like fools".

She continued: "The prime minister knows all this. But despite the resignation of one minister, growing unease from his backbenchers, a dramatic early warning from the polls and a deep national disquiet, Boris Johnson has chosen to ignore it.

"Tonight we consider what this blind loyalty tells us about the workings of Number 10."

In a statement on Wednesday, the BBC said it had "reviewed the entirety of last night's Newsnight, including the opening section".

"While we believe the programme contained fair, reasonable and rigorous journalism, we feel that we should have done more to make clear the introduction was a summary of the questions we would examine, with all the accompanying evidence, in the rest of the programme," it continued.

"As it was, we believe the introduction we broadcast did not meet our standards of due impartiality."

Cummings' 260-mile journey has been the focus of intense media scrutiny since coming to light last week.

On Monday, the prime minister's most senior adviser explained that he decided to make the trip because he felt it would be better to self-isolate in a place where he had options for childcare if required.

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson ruled out an inquiry into his adviser's conduct, insisting it was time to "move on" from the row.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-52830437
 
Durham Police have said Dominic Cumming's trip to Barnard Castle "might have been a minor breach" of lockdown rules.

The force said that, had an officer stopped Mr Cummings during his drive, "the officer would have spoken to him, and, having established the facts, likely advised Mr Cummings to return to the address in Durham, providing advice on the dangers of travelling during the pandemic crisis".

It added it would not be taking any action against Cummings, in line with its decision not to enforce the rules retrospectively. It said to do so would be to treat him differently to the general public.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Boris Johnson should have drawn a line under the Dominic Cummings saga but was too weak to act.<br><br>The public have sacrificed so much for the health of our nation - which he's now undermined.<br><br>And sent a message that there's one rule for them and another for the British people.</p>— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) <a href="https://twitter.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1266034795173367808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Boris Johnson stopped his top scientific and medical advisers answering a question about Dominic Cummings at the daily briefing.

Responding to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, the prime minister said he wanted to protect Sir Patrick Vallance, his chief scientific adviser, and Chris Whitty, his chief medical officer, from an "unfair and unnecessary attempt to ask a political question".

Sky's deputy political editor Sam Coates later asked the pair if they were "entirely comfortable with the prime minister telling you that you can't answer questions about Dominic Cummings... and is there anything else the prime minister has told you not to answer on?"

Mr Whitty answered: "I can assure you the desire not to get pulled into the politics is far stronger on the part of Sir Patrick (Vallance) and me, than it is in the prime minister."

Sir Patrick added: "I'm a civil servant, and I'm politically neutral and I don't want to get involved in politics at all."

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...ce-wont-answer-questions-on-cummings-11996375
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Apparently, the pilot is testing his eyesight just to make sure he’ll be ok for a transatlantic flight in a day or two. Sorry, that’s obviously not the case. It’s collecting information for a mapping software company. <a href="https://t.co/pPJ3sz9G6l">https://t.co/pPJ3sz9G6l</a></p>— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) <a href="https://twitter.com/DublinAirport/status/1265641616787767302?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
MenInG said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Apparently, the pilot is testing his eyesight just to make sure he’ll be ok for a transatlantic flight in a day or two. Sorry, that’s obviously not the case. It’s collecting information for a mapping software company. <a href="https://t.co/pPJ3sz9G6l">https://t.co/pPJ3sz9G6l</a></p>— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) <a href="https://twitter.com/DublinAirport/status/1265641616787767302?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...

:)) lol
 
Cummings considers quitting later this year - Daily Mail

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, is considering quitting later this year, the Daily Mail newspaper reported.

Cummings, who faced calls from within the Conservative Party to resign for driving 250 miles (402 km) during the coronavirus lockdown, could be out in six months, the newspaper reported, citing sources.

His trip from London to northern England was described by local police as a breach of the coronavirus lockdown but was also called by them as minor, the Telegraph newspaper had reported earlier on Thursday.

Cummings’ behaviour has been criticised by politicians from all major parties, but Johnson has said he wanted to move on from the topic.

Cummings, architect of the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union, came under pressure when it was reported he had travelled from London to northern England in March when his wife was ill with COVID-19 symptoms during a nationwide lockdown.

He said on Monday that he had not offered his resignation.

Cummings, who is Johnson’s close aide, had said that he should have explained the circumstances behind his journey during the lockdown earlier but that his decision to take the trip had not been a mistake.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...later-this-year-daily-mail-idUKKBN2343I3?il=0
 
A petition for the UK prime minister's chief adviser to resign has gained more than a million signatures.

It follows accusations that Dominic Cummings breached lockdown rules last month, during a stay near Durham - about 260-miles from his home in London.

His journey - and what he did once he was there - has been the focus of intense media scrutiny and the concern of many Tory MPs since coming to light last week.

Durham Police says the political aide may have broken the rules but that he will not face further action.

Cummings has said he acted reasonably and legally. His boss, Boris Johnson, is sticking by him and says he wants to "draw a line under the matter".

But dozens of MPs from the PM's own party have also called for Cummings to quit, in what BBC Political editor Laura Kuenssberg says shows cracks in the relationship between the PM and the Tory Party.

The BBC's Reality Check team have been looking at the facts around the row.
 
Chuckle

DC is like Rasputin, Svengali and Kevorkian rolled into one; unhinged, scheming and evil to the core. He should be dismissed if he refuses to resign. Although, if this happens the Conservatives will be toast. They simply can't function without his scheming and plotting...
 
'Chaos' on trains to Bournemouth partly due to Cummings, says union

A steep rise in train passengers has resulted in "chaos" on services to Bournemouth on Saturday, according to the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

Operating company Cross Country has been forced to seek additional trains to cope, the union said.

Its general secretary Mick Cash said the lockdown conduct of the PM's top aide Dominic Cummings was part of the reason.

"The hopeless mixed messaging from the government and the impact of the Cummings affair has resulted in predictable chaos on the railway today with Bournemouth at the eye of the storm," he said.
 
What is with pms and their advisors

Last month it was imran and jahangir
And now its johnson and Dominic
 
Should Cummings be sacked?

Toby Helm from the Observer says an opinion poll being run by the paper today show a "very high majority" of people believe Dominic Cummings, the prime minister's chief aide, should be sacked, he asks Oliver Dowden whether No 10 should listen to the people and get rid of Cummings.

He also asks Jonathan Van-Tam whether people in authority should set an example and follow the rules.

Oliver Dowden says Cummings gave a "very extensive explanation" of his behaviour on Monday and the PM has "accepted that explanation and on that basis kept him in post, and that remains the position".

Jonathan Van-Tam stresses in his "opinion" the rules are "clear and have always been clear" and are for "the benefit of all" and apply to all.

That was the final question and the briefing has now finished. We will have a round-up for you shortly.
 
Van Tam is the Jean Claude Van Dam of SAGE. Man like VT just thug lifed UK government
 
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he did not know that the prime minister's aide Dominic Cummings had travelled to Durham while he was filling in for Boris Johnson during his coronavirus illness.

There have been calls for Mr Cummings to resign after it was revealed he had travelled to his family's home in Durham from London during lockdown, as well as making a 60-mile round trip from there to Barnard Castle "to test his eyesight".

Mr Raab told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday he had only known Mr Cummings was "out of action".

He said: "I just knew that he was out of action because he had come down with coronavirus.

"Given the situation we were in with the prime minister taken ill, and very seriously ill as it later emerged, I was just focused with the government and with a great cabinet team and we continued to focus relentlessly on dealing with the virus."
 
A second senior government medical adviser has effectively criticised Dominic Cummings for breaching lockdown regulations by saying it is “a matter of personal and professional integrity” to abide by the rules.

The outspoken comments by Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, come a day after Jonathan Van-Tam, who holds the same post, broke the silence among advisers by criticising Cummings’ actions.

Asked about the controversy over the decision by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser to decamp from London to Durham with his family at the height of the lockdown, an issue other advisers had previously ducked, Van-Tam had said he was quite happy to answer it.

“In my opinion the rules are clear and they have always been clear,” he said. “In my opinion they are for the benefit of all. In my opinion they apply to all.”

At Sunday’s daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing, Harries – who was appearing alongside the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick – was asked whether she agreed with Van-Tam. She replied: “Absolutely”.

“I thought his exposure of what he felt was exactly right,” she said. “We usually say exactly the same things because we think in public health terms, and I think that’s right. From my own perspective, I can assure you that on a matter of personal and professional integrity, I will always try to follow the rules, as I know he does.

“The important thing there is that they are all rules for all of us, and it is really important as we go through into this next critical phase that we do all follow them to the best of our ability, and even minimise some of the freedoms that are there.”

The issue of compliance with lockdown rules has become even more important given that some will be eased from Monday. Harries told the briefing the risks were mitigated by most of the new freedoms taking place outdoors, but she said it was “a really, really critical time” in the process of reining in Covid-19.

Dominic Raab said earlier on Sunday that he had had no idea Cummings was self-isolating with coronavirus outside London, even though it coincided with the foreign secretary standing in as prime minister during Boris Johnson’s illness.

Raab said it was possible he only had only learned about Cummings’ trip to Durham with his family when he read about it in the media.

“I’m not sure,” Raab said when asked on Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday show when he first knew about the 260-mile journey. “But to be honest with you, when the story broke was when I first became aware of the detail of it.”

Raab took over from Johnson when the prime minister was moved into intensive care with serious coronavirus symptoms on 6 April, and when Cummings and his family were still in Durham.

Asked what he knew, Raab said: “I just knew he was out of action because he had come down with coronavirus and given the scenario we were in, with the prime minister taken ill, and very seriously ill as it later emerged, I was just focused with the government and with a great cabinet team on making sure we continued to focus relentlessly on dealing with the virus.
 
The Tory MP spearheading efforts to promote the Covid-19 contact-tracing app trial on the Isle of Wight appears to have broken lockdown rules at a barbecue also attended by the chairman of the Brexit party and political journalists, the Guardian has learned.
 
DC will not get the sack, the protesters in the UK ensured this.

Why target one 1, when 10000s 'broke' lockdown rules for something that happened across the pond.
 
The Viper said:
The Tory MP spearheading efforts to promote the Covid-19 contact-tracing app trial on the Isle of Wight appears to have broken lockdown rules at a barbecue also attended by the chairman of the Brexit party and political journalists, the Guardian has learned.
Click to expand...

Strewth. No moral leadership. At least the Labour whip who broke lockdown resigned.
 
And to think that we were all worrying about Cummings and his trip...

TELEMMGLPICT000232586340_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQfy2dmClwgbjjulYfPTELibA.jpeg
 
In the UK, the row over the alleged breach of lockdown rules by the prime minister’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, continues to rumble on.

Nazir Afzal, a former regional chief prosecutor, has joined a legal campaign for a new investigation into the incident.

Afzal has urged his former employers at the Crown Prosecution Service, and the police, to pursue a case against Boris Johnson’s aide over his trips to Durham and Barnard Castle during the peak of the outbreak.
 
The former chief prosecutor for north-west England has urged the Metropolitan police to launch an immediate investigation into Dominic Cummings’ trip from London to Durham at the height of the coronavirus outbreak.

Lawyers for Nazir Afzal have written to the Met commissioner, Cressida Dick, arguing that the behaviour of Boris Johnson’s chief adviser during the lockdown warrants a “thorough investigation”.

They say the “continuing pressing public imperative to ensure strict compliance” with advice about the pandemic “makes this matter urgent”.

Afzal’s lawyers point out that a three-day investigation by Durham police was confined to Cummings’ movement in County Durham and made no finding on why he left London when his wife was suffering coronavirus symptoms and a day before he fell ill with a suspected case.

The letter to Dick says: “The apparent wrongdoing included actions in London, including Mr Cummings leaving his home without reasonable excuse on 27 March.”

Afzal, whose brother Umar died of coronavirus on 8 April when he was self-isolating at home, has become the figurehead of a legal campaign to ensure that Cummings’ alleged lockdown breaches are fully investigated.

As well as writing to Dick, his lawyers, Hodge Jones & Allen, have also written to the chief constable of Durham olice, Jo Farrell, and the director of public prosecutions, Max Hill, calling for further investigation of Cummings’ behaviour.

All three letters say the information will enable Afzal, the Crown Prosecution Service and the public “to understand whether Dominic Cummings should be charged and prosecuted for breach of the health protection [coronavirus, restrictions] regulations 2020 and/or related offences”.

They point out that a number of public authorities, including the police, have suggested Cummings’ bending of the rules had “undermined the importance of compliance and the made the task of police enforcement with the public more difficult across the country”.

The investigation by Durham police found Cummings had probably breached health protection regulations when he took a 52-mile round trip to Barnard Castle with his wife and son on her birthday.

The force decided to take no further action and made no finding in relation to the government’s “stay at home” guidance and Cummings’ initial decision to leave London for Durham.

The letter to Hill says Durham police’s investigation was “short, narrow and limited” and “did not consider the lawfulness of Mr Cummings leaving London, or other alleged wrongdoing”.

It said: “We emphasise on behalf of Mr Afzal that it would be misconceived for the police or the Crown Prosecution Service to approach Mr Cummings’ conduct as if it were insufficiently serious to warrant prosecution at this stage … The seriousness of Mr Cummings’ wrongdoing is an assessment for prosecutors to make, once they have been given the relevant evidence by police and other investigators.”

Each of the letters includes a nine-page annex setting out what is known so far about Cummings’ movement during the lockdown alongside the relevant rules at the time. It also includes a list of the “further information required”. Dick, Farrell and Hill have been given 14 days to respond.

Afzal is worried that the Cummings affair has damaged public confidence in the law. He said: “I am concerned that the police and prosecutors have not received all the relevant information and their decision making will be incomplete as a result. I am troubled that previous correspondence from people, including MPs, has gone unanswered.”

He also encouraged anyone with information about Cummings’ movements during the lockdown to email his solicitor, Mike Schwarz, at mschwarz@hja.net.

Schwarz said: “It is Mr Afzal’s simple wish and expectation that current senior police investigators and prosecutors are reminded of their responsibilities and carry out their during in Mr Cummings’ case. By failing to do so they would perpetuate the public’s perception that there is one rule for those in positions of power and another for ordinary citizens.”

A spokeswoman for No 10 said it was not commenting on the issue. A CPS spokesman said: “It is not the function of the CPS to investigate allegations of crime. Investigations into alleged criminal conduct are a matter for the relevant police force.”

The letters will add pressure on Johnson over the behaviour of his chief adviser.

On a LBC phone-in on Friday, Gurvinder from Slough asked the prime minister why he could not see his mother before she died while Cummings could drive 264 miles to stay at his parents’ property at the height of the pandemic.

“How do you expect the public to follow the rules if the people setting the rules don’t really care about them themselves?” he asked.

Johnson said he “really, really” understood public concern about the issue, and added: “Most people in this country have shown huge forbearance and sacrifice, the overwhelming majority.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...ominic-cummings-trip-during-covid-19-lockdown
 
Dominic Cummings is to leave his role as the prime minister's chief adviser by the end of the year.

A Downing Street source said on Thursday night the controversial aide will exit Number 10, having been one of Boris Johnson's first appointments when he became PM last July.


Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the news the next morning, saying the move will coincide with the post-Brexit transition period ending on 31 December 2020.

"He'll be missed... but advisers come and go," the cabinet minister told Sky News.

"In any government, you require people who are going to shake things up and come up with ideas, and he's actually been that person."

In a blog post in January, Mr Cummings revealed he planned to leave his role by the end of the year, saying he hoped to make himself "largely redundant" by then.

But news of his expected departure comes after a bitter power struggle behind the scenes in Downing Street - something that is likely to have hastened his decision.

The row came to light with the resignation of his close ally Lee Cain as the prime minister's director of communications.

Mr Cummings and Mr Cain both worked with Mr Johnson as part of the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 EU referendum.

They are widely regarded to have since led a Vote Leave faction of colleagues in Number 10 and other parts of government.

But their departures follow the appointment of former journalist Allegra Stratton as Downing Street's new TV spokeswoman, which was said to have been opposed by Mr Cain.

The infighting spilling into the open has sparked criticism from Conservative MPs.

Tory backbencher Sir Roger Gale said Mr Cummings had "become a distraction" and a "malign influence at the centre of Downing Street for too long", telling Sky News: "It's right that he should go."

While another Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood told Sky News: "Let's move a little bit away from EastEnders and more to the West Wing."

Mr Shapps tried to do so by dismissing Mr Cummings' departure, saying "things move on" and that in the "real world" other issues like a coronavirus vaccine are "vastly more important".

When Sky News asked him if imported vaccines could be hindered by a no trade deal divorce with the EU, which could threaten delays in supply chains at the border, Mr Shapps vowed: "We'll make sure we have those."

The prime minister's official spokesman James Slack, who will replace Mr Cain when he departs in the new year, has also insisted Mr Johnson is not being distracted from the national crisis by the bitter row.

"You've seen from the prime minister this week that he's absolutely focused on taking all the steps that are required to equip the country to beat coronavirus," he said.

Mr Cummings - once reportedly described by former prime minister David Cameron as a "career psychopath" - is a former Conservative Party director of strategy and ex-aide to senior cabinet minister Michael Gove.

He was credited as one of the most influential figures behind Vote Leave's success under its "take back control" slogan.

As part of Mr Johnson's top team, Mr Cummings helped secure last year's thumping general election victory for the Conservative Party.

He was said to have subsequently focused on projects such as setting up an advanced defence projects research agency and reforming government procurement processes.

Mr Cummings gained national notoriety this year when he was accused of breaching lockdown rules by making a trip from London to the North East, at a time when he feared he could have contracted coronavirus.

He also admitted to having driven to Barnard Castle in Teesdale, County Durham, as a means of testing his eyesight.

Despite huge pressure for Mr Johnson to sack his senior aide, the prime minister stood by Mr Cummings.

During his time in Number 10, Mr Cummings called for "misfits and weirdos" to apply for jobs in Downing Street.

One of those subsequently employed was soon forced to resign following the emergence of past online comments.

https://news.sky.com/story/dominic-...pms-chief-adviser-by-end-of-the-year-12130620
 
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