British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under pressure to sack his chief aide after it was reported he and his wife breached the UK’s lockdown by traveling across England to stay with his parents, while showing symptoms of coronavirus.
Here’s what we know about the controversy:
What happened: An investigation by the Guardian and Mirror newspapers revealed that Dominic Cummings had been spotted in late March in Durham, more than 250 miles from his London home — seemingly in contravention of the government’s lockdown regulations.
Why that’s significant: The UK’s coronavirus restrictions made clear that people must not visit any other household, including second residences or family homes, and must not carry out any non-essential travel.
What has Downing Street said? The British Prime Minister’s office has denied that top adviser Dominic Cummings breached coronavirus guidelines by traveling from London to Durham. Downing Street has called the reports in the Guardian and Mirror “false allegations” and “inaccurate stories” about Cummings. British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the Prime Minister has given his full support to Cummings, saying the decision was within the guidelines and aimed to provide his child with the necessary support.
“The reality of the matter is the 4-year-old child’s welfare is I think the important thing,” he said. “It was a straightforward arrangement which meant that he stayed in the same place and prevented the possibility of a child, in this case, not having support around him.”
What has Cummings said? The senior adviser said he “behaved reasonably and legally” when he travelled from London to Durham and will not consider resigning. Responding to a question about it not being a “good look” for the prime minister’s adviser to travel to Durham, Cummings replied: “Who cares about good looks. It’s a question about doing the right thing – not what you guys (journalists) think.”
British police are involved: UK police confirmed that an officer made contact with the aide’s father regarding his trip, the Press Association reported Saturday. That contradicts an earlier statement from Downing Street, which said that police made no contact with Cummings or his family.
Cummings’ father told an officer that his son had traveled to the northeast of England and was “self-isolating in part of the property,” according to Durham Police, the PA reported Saturday.