Cummings rule break 'undermined' trust

Dominic Cummings' trip to Durham at the height of lockdown while suffering from COVID-19 drastically undermined public trust in the Government's handling of the pandemic, according to new research.

The analysis, conducted by University College London (UCL), found the actions of the Prime Minister's chief adviser reduced people's willingness to follow social distancing rules.

The research, published in the Lancet, analysed 220,000 survey results from 40,000 participants between April 24 and June 11.

Respondents were asked how much confidence they had in the Government's handling of the pandemic on a scale of one (none) to seven (a lot).

Among participants living in England, confidence dropped approximately 0.4 points on this scale between May 21 and 25.

News of Mr Cummings' 420km drive with his wife and child broke on May 22.

Lead author Dr Daisy Fancourt, of UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care said: "Public trust in the Government's ability to manage the pandemic is crucial as it underpins public attitudes and behaviours at a precarious time for public health. "Trust in government decisions and actions relating to the management of COVID-19 is a major challenge globally and these data illustrate the negative and lasting consequences that political decisions can have for public trust and the risks to behaviours."

The study was launched in the week before the UK went into lockdown.