Police quiz over Cummings lockdown breach
Police quiz over top aide’s 260-mile journey at height of the travel ban
Boris Johnson’s top aide was investigated by police after flouting the Government’s own lockdown rules, it emerged last night.
Dominic Cummings travelled 260 miles from London to his elderly parents’ home in County Durham at the end of March.
The Prime Minister was last night fighting to keep hold of his most senior adviser after Downing street was thrown into crisis over the revelations.
Mr Cummings was quizzed by police in the North when he was meant to be self-isolating after developing symptoms. Government advice at the time was not to travel and to stay at home. He is the latest in a string of senior figures to break the lockdown advice.
Last night Labour demanded a ‘very swift explanation’ from Downing street. A party spokesman said: ‘if accurate, the Prime Minister’s chief adviser appears to have breached the lockdown rules. The British people do not expect there to be one rule for them and another rule for Dominic Cummings.’
it is understood Mr Cummings was spotted by a member of the public who made a complaint to the police.
Downing street had previously claimed he was holed up in his London home. After he recovered his wife, Mary Wakefield, wrote a detailed account about ‘emerging from quarantine’ into the London lockdown.
But a joint investigation by the Mirror and the Guardian revealed Mr Cummings went to the North of England. The PM’s chief of staff was seen running through Downing street on March 27 after it was announced that Mr Johnson and Health secretary Matt Hancock had tested positive for coronavirus.
Downing street later said Mr Cummings had developed symptoms ‘over the weekend’ of March 28 and 29.
But instead of self-isolating in London, he drove the family to the North, it was claimed. on March 31, Mr Cummings was in County Durham at his parents’ home. Police confirmed that on that day they visited an individual at an address in Durham after they learned someone had travelled there from London during lockdown to self-isolate. According to the Mirror they spoke to the family and reminded them that travelling to stay with relatives was in breach of the rules.
A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: ‘ on Tuesday, March 31, our officers were made aware of reports that an individual had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city. officers made contact with the owners of that address who confirmed that the individual in question was present and was self-isolating in part of the house.
‘in line with national policing guidance, officers explained to the family the guidelines around self-isolation and reiterated the appropriate advice around essential travel.’
on the same day, March 31, the PM’s official spokesman told journalists: ‘i think he’s in touch with No 10 but he is at home, he is selfisolating, he has some symptoms.’
several days later, on April 5, Mr Cummings allegedly remained at the property in Durham.
A neighbour of Mr Cummings’ parents, robert, 73, and Morag, 71, claimed they spotted him outside the property.
They heard Abba’s Dancing Queen playing loudly and saw him.
There was a small boy running around, believed to be his son.
The neighbour, who did not want to give their name, told the Mirror: ‘i got the shock of my life. There was a child, presumably his little boy, running around in front. i recognised Dominic Cummings, he’s a very distinctive figure.
‘i was really annoyed. i thought it’s oK for you to drive all the way up to Durham. it’s one rule for Dominic Cummings and one rule for the rest of us.’
The BBC reported that Mr Cummings and his wife stayed in a separate building at his family’s farm. He is also said to have told colleagues he and his wife feared they would not be well enough to look after their son, four.
When he returned to work, Mr Cummings’ wife, an editor at The spectator, wrote about their experience of self-isolating in lockdown.
in the same issue of the journal, Mr Cummings wrote: ‘At the end of March and for the first two weeks of April i was ill, so we were both shut in together.’
on April 10 deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries was asked at a No 10 press conference: ‘What you do if two parents are sick and you can’t look after your child?’
she said: ‘Clearly if you have adults who are unable to look after a small child, that is an exceptional circumstance.’ The revelations led acting Lib Dem leader Ed Davey to say: ‘if Dominic Cummings has broken the guidelines he will have to resign, it is as simple as that.’
They come after Communities secretary robert Jenrick was forced to explain why he had driven 150 miles to his second home, claiming he was delivering medication to his elderly parents.
Two weeks ago Professor Neil Ferguson quit as a member of the sage advisory group after it was revealed his girlfriend had been visiting him during lockdown. And scotland’s chief medical officer, Catherine Calderwood, also quit after making two trips to her second home during lockdown.
Last night a close friend of Mr Cummings said: ‘He isn’t remotely bothered by this story, it’s more fake news from the Guardian. There is zero chance of him resigning.’
A No 10 source confirmed last night Mr Cummings and his wife had travelled to Co Durham to stay at his parents’ home to get help looking after their son when they were ill, adding: ‘He believes he took the best decision in the interests of their child.’ The PM is said to have accepted his explanation. Latest coronavirus video news, views and expert advice at mailplus.co.uk/coronavirus
‘Officers explained the guidelines’