Cummings factor in rules breach

A fifth of Britons are following the lockdown rules less strictly than before – with a third of those citing Dominic Cummings’ actions as a factor, a survey has indicated.

The Yougov poll suggested that the vast majority – some 73 per cent – followed the lockdown rules last week as strictly as they had in the previous week.

But of the 21 per cent who said they followed the rules less strictly, 32 per cent mentioned Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s senior adviser as one of the reasons for their breaches.

The Prime Minister has stood by his aide, who travelled from London to Durham during the lockdown because of concerns over who would look after his son if both he and his wife were incapacitated by coronavirus. Durham Police concluded he may have committed a “minor breach” of the regulations by taking a trip to Barnard Castle but took no further action.

The Yougov poll suggested that in total 7 per cent of Britons may have used Mr Cummings’ actions as their justification for their own breaches of lockdown rules.

The survey of 2,043 British adults on 28-29 May found younger Britons were the most likely to have adhered less strictly to the rules than in the previous week.

Some 29 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 and 25 per cent of those aged 25 to 49 said their adherence to the rules had declined.

The survey also found 76 per cent felt the coronavirus situation was getting better, up from 58 per cent two weeks ago. More than a third – 36 per cent – said restrictions should be more severe, but this is down from 42 per cent two weeks ago.

A separate survey found 49 per cent opposed reducing the social distance rule to 1.5 metres from 2 metres, with 37 per cent in favour. The findings came from a snap poll of 1,565 adults.