Boris backs aide Cummings in lockdown row
...BUT NEW WITNESSES CLAIM HE BROKE RULES TWICE:
SENIOR Tories last night rallied to defend the Prime Minister’s top aide, who is accused of breaking lockdown rules.
Boris Johnson resisted pressure to sack Brexit strategist Dominic Cummings after it emerged he took a 260-mile trip to be near relatives in County Durham after his wife contracted coronavirus.
Mr Cummings, 48, drove his wife and child from their London home to a family property in the North East after she developed symptoms. He was reportedly spotted in the region between March 31 and April 5.
It also emerged that Mr Cummings may have twice broken lockdown in the area.
One witness claimed the family was spotted in Durham on April 19, days after Cummings was photographed in London having recovered from the virus.
A week earlier he was allegedly seen by another witness in Barnard Castle on Easter Day, 20 miles away from Durham.
Downing Street declined to comment on the latest claims.
Earlier, officials had insisted that Mr Cummings had not broken the rules and was simply ensuring his child would be cared for while he and his wife were ill.
Last night, one senior Tory suggested: “It looks like there may have been a plot to get him.”
Mr Cummings has ruffled feathers in Whitehall and Parliament with plans to overhaul the civil service and bid to drive through Brexit. Yesterday he told reporters outside his London home: “I behaved reasonably and legally.”
Dismissing suggestions the trip from London did not look good, he replied: “Who cares about good looks? It’s a question of doing the right thing. It’s not about what you guys think.”
Labour, the SNP and Liberal Democrats have called for a probe and many people who have had to distance themselves from relatives took to social media to express their outrage.
In a Yougov poll on the controversy, 68 per cent of people said Cummings broke the rules, and 52 per cent said he should go. Lib Dem acting leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The buck stops with the Prime Minister.
“He should open an investigation and if it finds Dominic Cummings has broken the guidelines he will have to sack him.”
Mr Johnson’s top ministers, including Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Health Secretary Matt Hancock defended Mr Cummings.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “Taking care of your wife and young child is justifiable and reasonable. Trying to score political points over it isn’t.”
Mr Hancock, who has also recovered from the virus, added: “I know how ill it makes you. It was entirely right for Dom Cummings to find childcare, when both he and his wife were getting ill.”
A No.10 spokesman said: “Owing to his wife being infected with suspected coronavirus and the high likelihood that he would himself become unwell, it was essential for Dominic Cummings to ensure his young child could be properly cared for.
“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. At no stage was he or his family spoken to by the police about this matter, as is being reported.
“His actions were in line with coronavirus guidelines. Mr Cummings believes he behaved reasonably and legally.”
One minister said: “If Dom has done anything wrong, it’s only a
technical breach. He didn’t drive miles to enjoy a holiday or to have an extra-marital relationship with a married woman.
“He went there in the noble cause of protecting his young son. We should all give him a break.”
There were divisions among Tory MPS, some of whom are privately furious that it appears there
is one rule for Downing Street and another for other people.
One veteran MP noted: “He has no friends and not many people would shed a tear for him.”
But there was greater concern that Mr Cummings’s departure could destabilise the government and the completion of Brexit. It was noted that only ex-remainers
among Tories were pushing for Cummings to go publicly.
A senior MP added: “There is no smoking gun so the story will die down. It was a conundrum for him because he had a four-yearold child.yes, he was stupid but he will survive.”
A police spokesman said: “Officers explained to the family the guidelines around selfisolation and reiterated the advice around essential travel.”
But Steve White, acting Police, Crime and victims’ Commissioner, called Mr Cummings’s trip “unwise”. He added: “Incidents such as this do not help.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted Mr Cummings retains Mr Johnson’s “full support”. Speaking in yesterday’s Downing Street briefing, he said: “The Prime Minister knew that he was staying in place with his family.”
Defending Mr Cummings, he added: “In moments of crisis we always seek to have our family around us.”