Ministers fear refusal to sack aide will cost lives
Boris Johnson stepped in to protect Dominic Cummings in a move which caused alarm among some members of the Cabinet.
The prime minister made an unscheduled appearance at a Downing Street press conference in which he defended his chief adviser against accusations that he breached lockdown rules, insisting he had ‘‘acted responsibly and legally and with integrity’’. Cabinet colleagues, however, expressed fear that the move risked ‘‘seriously undermining’’ the Government’s lockdown strategy. Some even suggested the support for Cummings could cost lives because the public will use it as justification for ignoring social distancing. Meanwhile, government scientific advisers said Johnson had ‘‘trashed’’ the advice they had given him on how to build trust in measures needed to keep coronavirus under control.
Johnson said Cummings had been following ‘‘instinct’’ when he drove his family from London to Durham to self-isolate at his parents’ farm.
He said: ‘‘I’ve had extensive face to face conversations with Dominic Cummings and I concluded that in travelling to find the right kind of childcare at the moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus, and when he had no alternative, I think he followed the instincts of every father, and every parent. I do not mark him down for that.’’
However, it led to questions about whether people should now follow their instincts rather than the rules.
Yesterday Robin Lees, a retired chemistry teacher, made a complaint to police in which he reported seeing Cummings and his family on a day out in Barnard Castle on April 12. Lees told police in Durham he believed Cummings had breached health protection regulations.
A Liberal Democrat councillor has also made a complaint to police in Durham, which was reported last night to be considering whether it needs to take further action.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, appeared to confirm the family trip to Barnard Castle – on the 45th birthday of Cummings’s wife Mary Wakefield – when he told the BBC’S Andrew Marr that Cummings was out of self-isolation by then.
Johnson’s appearance came after a day of drama during which Cummings had been besieged by journalists at his
London home.
When he returned home yesterday Cummings was heckled by neighbours from their windows as he walked down his street. One shouted: ‘‘People couldn’t go to funerals. What have you got to say to that?’’
A woman shouted: ‘‘My Mum’s terrified. My Dad’s had three shoulder operations and she won’t let him go to the park, she won’t even entertain me in her garden.’’
Another woman had scrawled graffiti on the street saying Cummings was ‘‘hopefully going’’.